Uzumaki's War
by Daystar Clarion
Summary: Awakening from a coma, Naruto has to deal with a traitorous mind and a body bent on destruction. Sequel to Silence of the Damned.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to Daystar Clarion

**This is the sequel to _Silence of the Damned_, which I promised more than a year ago and had yet to deliver. Sadly, this is the third version, where I spent much time mulling over which way the story would go. I finally chose this one, and will have to toss the other two. Ridiculous.**

**Uzumaki's War**

**_Chapter_ _One_**

He woke with such a start that his body gave an actual jerk, and he blinked as the bright light in the room began to fade, and images became clear. He was staring at the ceiling. He blinked again, and his eyes burned, watered; he lifted a hand to rub them, and noticed the tubes buried into the back of that hand. Startling. He lifted his other hand, but it was clean of tubes, and he rubbed his burning eyes with that one. Then he rubbed his face, and came across more tubes, following them up to his nose- he swallowed a dry throat, felt them in the back.

Unnatural.

Frantically he pulled the tubes from nose and throat, coughing all the while until he was free of them. He shook his head and roughly rubbed his face before looking around. Next to his bed where he lay were a series of machines that beeped methodically and made waves. The room itself had two chairs, one on each side, a dresser with a vase full of flowers sitting comfortably on it. He sat up in the bed, his arms working hard to push his upper body into a sitting position. By the time he was sitting, he was winded and flushed, feeling weak and slightly nauseous. Once he settled, he was able to allow his mind to wonder the important things that had hovered in the back of his mind.

Who was he again?

He frowned as he waited for a name and memories to occupy his brain, but nothing came to him. His heart began to pound, a beeping machine began to increase its sound; he looked at it and noticed a small heart shaped sign next to the increasing numbers. There was a creak, and his head turned to the door across the room. A brown haired woman entered with a clip board settled in the crook of her arm, and froze when her eyes fell upon him. He stared at her, taking in her stunned expression.

"Uzumaki-san?" she breathed, her voice sounding unsure.

Of course! He was Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. He was twelve, a genin of Team Seven- his teammates were Sakura and Sasuke, his sensei was Kakashi...How had he gotten in a hospital?

"Uzumaki-san?" He realized he hadn't responded to the nurse.

"Yeah?" or he meant to say 'yeah' but his voice cracked and broke over the word, and he sounded funny- his voice deeper. The woman exited the doorway, rushing away. He stared down at his hands- they were larger and bonier than he remembered, fingers longer. How had he gotten here? He was Naruto...A headache bloomed. He was Naruto, and he...the headache increased; he pinched his forehead in a hope to alleviate the pain. The door opened and a man entered followed by the woman from before. He moved to the machines, taking in the stats then turned to look at him with dark, intense eyes.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Chiza. You're at Konoha General Hospital. How are you feeling?"

_Thirsty_, Naruto thought. _Hungry._ _Confused, very confused_. "Fine," he muttered, voice cracking around the word, hair falling into his face, startling him. He quickly discovered how long it had gotten, down to his shoulders, wild, all over his face. How long had he been here? "How long have I been here?" he swallowed harshly and looked for a glass of water, spying a glass and jug sitting just beyond the flowers. With shaking hands bigger than he remembered, he gripped jug and cup, spilling it over his hands and onto the table. The nurse leaped forward and took them from his hands, quickly pouring him a glass. He swallowed a couple of gulps gratefully, feeling it rush down his esophagus before he turned to the doctor. "How long have I been here?" he repeated again.

Chiza patted his shoulders in a failed attempt of comfort. "Let's not worry about that right now, okay Naruto? First,let-"

Not worry about it? How could he not worry about it? He couldn't remember how he had gotten here, and he didn't know how long he had been here. Why shouldn't that worry him?

"Naruto," the doctor was saying, but Naruto could barely hear him over the incessant beeping of that machine-each beep was like a kunai between the eyes.

"Shut that off," he commanded, rubbing his face. "Please shut that off."

"Calm down," the woman was saying, gripping his other shoulder.

He didn't like that- he didn't know this woman, he didn't like her touching him. He slapped her hand away and turned toward the machine. He managed to hit it once before his arms were grabbed, before he was held down. "Let go of me!" he shouted, vaguely aware of more people in the room just as something cool rushed up his arm and into his chest. Suddenly the pain winked out of his head so fast it made him dizzy and what little strength he had faded, leaving him blinking at the ceiling dully.

"He was practically brain-dead," came an incredulous whisper above him.

"Yeah but, you know who he is," another replied.

Something about those words...

-----

Tsunade headed for Konoha General in a hurried gait, Shizune following behind her, eyes wide with excitement and disbelief. When they had gotten the call that Naruto had miraculously awakened, her response had been to stare stupidly. She'd been to see Naruto just last week, and he had been as limp and unresponsive as he had been for the last four years. And now he had awakened? It was too unbelievable- too much like fantasy to be real. She _still_ didn't believe it as she and Shizune entered the hospital, didn't believe it as Dr. Chiza approached with an excite grin.

"We don't know how it happened, but one of our nurses came in and, there he was, sitting and staring at her, even talking."

Talking?! She hadn't even dared imagine that! They walked into the room, she admitted to a brief pause as she took him in. There were visible differences; his hair was everywhere when it was usually combed and neat, the eyes that had stared emptily at the ceiling were now blinking sluggishly. A hand that used to lay motionless at his side now came up to brush shakily at the hair in his face.

Her heart pounded. The answer to the question that plagued all who cared for him would soon be answered. _Why had he done it?_ She sat at the chair on his right; Naruto still seemed focused on removing a strand of hair from his face, dilated pupils showing that he was drugged. She lifted a hand and ran it an inch above his body, taking in his vitals. Brain activity slightly slow due to the drugs, heart rate stable, lungs working at normal capacity, if slightly weaker due to lack of activity. She brushed whatever hair Naruto's drug induced mind thought was there and paused as Naruto's eyes turned to her.

"Baa-chan..." he slurred, and she quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped. She nodded, deciding it was safer not to say anything and just ran a hand through his hair, fingers getting stuck in a few tangles. He dropped his hand on his chest and continued to stare at her.

"Hey Naruto," Shizune whispered from his other side, and the blond turned his head in her direction.

"Une," he murmured, and her eyes teared up, looking up at Tsunade.

"He recognizes us," she commented. "How could lasting damage suddenly disappear? Do you think..." she drifted off into a suggestive silence.

Truthfully, Tsunade didn't care- how he had awakened and by whose power wasn't something she was going to agonize about. Naruto had returned to them. Something dropped down on her hand, and she was startled to see that it was Naruto's hand- the boy was looking at her.

"Long..?" he slurred weakly, and she leaned forward to hear him better. "long have I been here?"

Tsunade grimaced at the question- though he was clearly drugged, there was an unnatural intensity in his cerulean eyes that sent warning bells off in her head. She glanced over at Chiza, who was standing by the door, and he shook his head minutely as their eyes connected. A dangerous question then.

"For some time," she replied cautiously, and the blond shut his eyes as if her words pained him physically. "You'll be okay," she patted his hand, which he removed and let flop on the bed. His eyes opened and stared at the ceiling in the same empty way they had been for the last four years. "Naruto?" she touched his face and he flinched. He was still there.

Words stopped in a cold silence as their minds rolled over their questions. Had it been Sasuke's attempted defection that had driven Naruto to do what he had done? Her face darkened at the thought of the Uchiha. Shikamaru's team had slowed the Sound Four down but it was Hatake Kakashi that had caught the boy, who refused to listen to reason. It was however, Kakashi's timely mention of Naruto's attempt at suicide that had given the sharingan user pause- pause enough for his capture. He had seemed genuinely surprised.

Deep down she could understand what motivated Sasuke to do what he had done- it was stupid, but understandable. Orochimaru gave tempting offers, some she had had a hard time turning from. But Sasuke's reaction to the news of Naruto proved that he hadn't had much to do with the blond's actions, had claimed that he hadn't even _seen_ Naruto prior to his attempt to leave. Besides, Naruto's actions were uncharacteristic- if he had known that Sasuke was leaving, he would have done everything in his power to stop him.

So what had it been?

Kyuubi? It was their only conclusion. It was no mystery that the life of a jinchuuriki was a hard, unfair one, but Naruto had borne it with a grace that many others had lacked. Naruto had a vigor for life that had inspired all who knew him- except...those last few weeks. Something had happened. But what?

It was a full year before Sasuke had been allowed back as a Konoha ninja, the council's decision, and it was another six months more before Sasuke paid a visit to Naruto. Sakura had told her it had been a quiet affair, Sasuke had stared at Naruto, hands stuffed in his pockets; Naruto had stared at the ceiling, unaware of his friend as he was of everyone.

"Would you like to see your Team? Kakashi? Sakura?" Naruto's mouth opened. "Sasuke?" Naruto's brow furrowed, and his mouth closed, eyes never moving from the ceiling. Of course, Naruto had been replaced by Sai, Danzo's ilk, and he barely got along with Sasuke and Sakura.

At that the door opened, and Sakura came in with a fresh batch of flowers, Yamanaka Ino following right behind her. Both girls froze as their eyes fell on them, then drifted over to Naruto, who was blinking at the ceiling. Sakura's eyes widened and darted back to Tsunade's, pleading silently for confirmation to what she was seeing, but Tsunade didn't have to say anything because Naruto took that moment to reply to her question.

"Okay," he murmured. Sakura gasped.

"Naruto!" she breathed, and Shizune positioned the bed so that it was sitting up. Naruto turned drowsy eyes to his teammate as she rushed over and gave him a hug. "You're awake!" she exclaimed tearfully, releasing the boy and stepping back to get a good look at him.

Naruto's mouth turned up in a weak smile, a mere shadow of his old one, but Tsunade felt a wave of relief rush through her. It was still there, even if it was just pieces of it.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked, as Ino took the flowers she had in her hands and put them in the vase, removing the older ones.

"Confused," Naruto replied, head drooping a bit. Sakura nodded and gave him another hug. Naruto lifted his head and gave another smile. "What happened?"

Tsunade quickly stood up, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder before she could reply- but it was unnecessary, Sakura's face was solemn, and clearly she was having a hard time meeting his eyes. Naruto saw this and gripped the rails of the bed, pushing himself up more.

"Just tell me!" he demanded, blinking rapidly, and she realized he was fighting the drugs. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chiza make some quick gestures to a nurse that had been hovering in the doorway, who quickly rushed off. "Don't baby me, Tsunade-"

"Naruto, calm down," Tsunade put a hand on his shoulder, but Naruto slapped it away angrily, pale face flushed.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Tell me what happened? Why am I here? What-" he cut himself off as the nurse returned, too slow to hide the syringe-Naruto had seen it and slumped back in the bed, eyes smoldering and sullen. The nurse paused, looking from Chiza to Tsunade, unsure if she should still administer it now that Naruto had calmed down. He hadn't really- he just didn't want to be sedated again.

"Naruto," Chiza stepped forward. "We think it's best for you to remember on your own instead of breaking it to you harshly and inadvertently cause more damage." He hesitated then continued. "We _will_ tell you that you have been here for a few years, but I think you already know that. Let's just focus on getting you up and moving about first, okay? Your muscles are very weak right now, and it'll take some work in getting you mobile again. Can we work together on that?"

Naruto rubbed his face a little too roughly but nodded, looking weak now that the adrenaline had run its course.

"Great," Chiza seemed pleased and a little too relieved that Naruto had chosen to be reasonable. Sakura was biting her lip in concern, Ino was still by the flowers, eyes watching everyone uneasily. Tsunade sighed.

"I've got to get back to the Tower. I'll be back, okay Naruto?" The blond didn't look at her, instead staring at his covered feet. She patted a bony shoulder; his body had been fed through TPN's and though it gave all the necessary nutrients needed for the body to survive, it still wasn't enough to keep it at a healthy weight. She headed for the door, Shizune following after, and glanced back at the miserable figure he portrayed. Tough days were ahead of him.

-----------

He didn't know when Sakura had left, could barely recall any of her words, couldn't think much beyond the growing sense of dread that had descended upon him with the realization that no one wanted to tell him what had happened. Something terrible had happened, something he had done, or something that had been done to someone he cared about...It wasn't Team Seven though- Tsunade had mentioned Sasuke and Kakashi, and Sakura had been with him though he couldn't remember a thing she had said to him...

What frightened him was that the harder he tried to think on it, the more the weight seemed upon him. Something terrible...

"Here you go Uzumaki-san," the woman's voice startled him, and he looked up as she set a tray of mush before him, on the small tray/table. "I know it looks nasty, and you probably want something with more substance, but your stomach hasn't had much in it for some time, so we need to start small, okay?"

He nodded, which seemed to please her, and he _was_ hungry, so he gladly took a spoon and shoveled some down- apple sauce, the best he had ever tasted. Hair fell into his eyes and he brushed it out of the way as the woman told him to push the button if he needed assistance, then left.

When he looked down at the tray, the applesauce had disappeared. In its place was a woman's face, just the skin of her face, with large brown eyes and several brown strands of hair stuck to the edges...She was looking at him.

Naruto slapped the tray away from him and jerked from the bed, IV's and other tubes pulled roughly from his flesh. His legs crumbled beneath him, and he collapsed to the floor, arms only stopping him from bashing his face into the linoleum. With a gasp, he dragged himself away from the bed, as far from the tray as he could, until his weak, traitorous body refused to move, and he lay on the cold floor in a flimsy gown, bleeding in several places.

He knew that face, he'd seen it before, her identity hovered at the edges of his mind...he only had to think a little-

"What happened Uzumaki-san?"

He looked up, startled to see the woman standing by the bed, looking down at the tray, then at the IV's that dangled from their poles. She picked up the tray and scooped up the apple sauce, plopping it into the tray and setting it aside, her eyes focused more on the IV's.

"Why did you take them out Uzumaki-san?" He looked at the IV's...and then it hit him. He was in bed. How had he gotten back onto the bed? Just a second ago he had been on the floor, unable to move! He looked at the woman, and she must have seen the confusion in his eyes, for her eyes softened. "Alright, don't be afraid, you just took them out a little sooner than we planned. Why don't you lie back and I'll get you more apple sauce."

He shook his head rapidly, eying the mush. No, he wasn't hungry anymore- he was far from hungry now.

"Alright, maybe later," she turned the bed from its reclined position so he could lay fully down. He stared at the ceiling, mind running a mile a minute. He didn't remember getting back into bed- that was something he should remember, right? There was a prick in his hand, but he didn't notice. Who was the woman? He knew her- he didn't know many woman, but he knew this one, he...

The nurse watched as the drug took affect, and the blue eyes fluttered and closed. She frowned. She had come back in fifteen minutes later, and there he was sitting in the bed, staring at the far wall, smiling- it had been an odd smile- she couldn't exactly say if it had been friendly or malicious, only that it had made her uncomfortable. When she had asked him what had happened, the smile had immediately disappeared, replaced by confusion. She didn't like that- didn't like that he had done that.

Not when he was who he was.

**TBC**

**For those who want to know right away, yes, the Voice will be back.**

**There will be no pairings in this fic, which should be of no surprise by now.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to Daystar Clarion

**Chapter Two**

The drugs released him slowly, reluctantly, leaving him staring woozily at the ceiling, unsure of how long he had been staring, but his eyes felt very dry so it must have been for some time. Something moved at the corner of his eye- he turned his head to see a new nurse fiddling with an IV. He lifted his hand to see that he had a new IV in the back of it.

"Good morning Uzumaki-san," she greeted, pushing the button that lifted him into a sitting position. "How are you feeling?"

"Ok," he muttered, rubbing his eyes, blinking after her. She checked his temperature, writing away at his chart, before peering at him.

"Would you like something to eat? We can only start you on things that your stomach can handle, like oatmeal, soup, apple-sauce?"

Naruto blanched at the word, cringing visibly.

The nurse frowned in concern. "Maybe oatmeal?"

He shook his head as the door opened, and Dr. Chiza walked in with a small smile on his face.

"Good morning Uzumaki-san. Today we're going to check your leg muscles and strength to see what we're working with- we want to get you up and walking again as soon as possible. How does that sound?"

It sounded pretty good, actually- he couldn't wait to get out of there and find out how he had gotten there in the first place. No one seemed to want to tell him what had happened, which meant he had done something bad, something he would be ashamed of. Chiza pushed the sheet away, exposing long, bony legs which he wasn't particularly familiar with, and made him grimace.

"Let's start by moving your toes," the man ordered, standing near his feet. He tried to move his big toe, tried to twiddle them, but nothing happened. His heart began to pound, and he glanced up at the doctor, who was alternating between writing on the chart and peering at his feet. "Are you trying?" Naruto glared at his feet- they were working earlier, when he had jerked from the bed, and he had gotten back into the bed somehow right? So they should be moving! Suddenly his foot dropped to the side, and it began to obey his commands, flopping from side to side; he was almost weak with relief. "Good, good," Chiza was saying, feeling his leg muscles. "We'll take this a day at a time- no need to overwork them. It is good to see that none of suffered myopathic atropy."

"What's that?" Naruto asked as another nurse came in with a wheelchair, leaving it at the bedside and leaving silently as she had come.

"Myopathic atropy is when the muscles weaken and shrink due to lack of use. But you needn't worry about that- things are looking good." the man patted his shoulder as he took the chart from the nurse and exited.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" She prodded. "It's important that you eat every meal to gain strength." Naruto grimaced and shook his head. What if a face showed up again? The nurse sighed. "Well, ring for me when you do get hungry. Now, I had this brought in – in case you wanted to use the bathroom and not a bedpan," she gestured to the wheelchair.

Oh yeah, he definitely wanted to stop using a bedpan. The door opened again, and Iruka-sensei entered. He looked the same minus a few lines here and there on his face that Naruto couldn't recall seeing before. But his eyes shone in a way that Naruto remembered, and he grinned in response. "Iruka-sensei!"

The Academy teacher came to his side and gave him a hug, eyes filling with tears, making him uncomfortable. It was one thing for a girl like Sakura to cry- it was another for his teacher to do so. "Gods Naruto! I never thought to see this again!" Naruto gave an embarrassed chuckle as the chuunin squeezed him a second longer then released him and sat back in a chair beside the bed. His sensei was still wiping his eyes as Naruto eyed him. Would he tell him what happened? Naruto opened his mouth to ask, but Iruka-sensei launched into the current status of people he knew who had made it to chuunin, who had made it to jounin. Sakura, Ino, Chouji, and Hinata were all chuunin, while Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji, Shino, and Sasuke had recently- as of last year, made it to jounin.

A surge of jealousy raced through him, and he gripped his sheets, struggling to keep his face normal, blank, something that he knew he was poor with. No one had ever accused him of being emotionally secretive. It was proving to be a struggle- he had been in this bed for years, still a genin, while everyone else had progressed, better-ed themselves. Sasuke had moved so far beyond him...He was gritting his teeth now, a headache blooming, his heart pounding in his ears.

"...alright?"

He looked up to see Iruka-sensei's concerned face, and he released his sheets, embarrassed once again, feeling his heated body cool down. He wiped his face, feeling sweat on his skin- he blinked and looked at his hand to see it shaking.

"Naruto? Are you in pain?"

Naruto gave a wan smile. "Iruka-sensei?" he looked at the man. "Will you tell me what happened?" The instructor stiffened, looking away from him.

"We were told it was best that you remember it on your own- not to push you."

Naruto opened his mouth to shout at the man, but shut it and turned his head away to stare at the walls. What was the use? No one was going to tell him- he couldn't trust anyone.

**Yes.**

Naruto frowned. Yes what? He turned his head slightly to see what his former sensei was talking about, but the man was staring guiltily down at his hands.

"I'm just so happy that you're awake Naruto...I don't want to do anything that will mess it up."

Naruto sighed, allowing his anger to slip away, and stared glumly down at the sheets. "I've fallen behind," he admitted lamely, "and I don't know why." He gazed at hands that seemed too large. In a body he felt he no longer fit. "I've missed so much."

Iruka-sensei gave his hand a sympathetic pat.

"Could you at least tell me how long I've been here? I only remember being twelve."

Iruka-sensei hesitated, eyes darting toward the door in indecision before sighing.

"You've been...asleep for four years."

Naruto blanched and sank down into the bed. Four years. Four years of missions, battles, experiences. Lost, missed. He was sixteen years old.

"I'm sorry Naruto," Iruka-sensei was murmuring.

------------------

Sakura waved at the boys that had made up her Team before they had been split up once they had become chuunin, Sasuke and Sai. Both boys were similar, tall, dark hair, pale features, both very handsome, and hating each other.

After Naruto had tried to kill himself, Kakashi and Sakura had been left alone, missing two members- Sasuke had been in the tender custody of the Interrogation Squad- and she had it under good authority that he had managed to avoid the torture part of it. So while they had waited for the Hokage's 'okay' on his reactivation into Squad Seven, they had been introduced to the sly, prickly Sai- who tended to toss insults with a smile. It hadn't gone over well, especially when she and Kakashi-sensei had been in such horrible moods. She barely tolerated him. And then Sasuke had been accepted back as a genin of Konoha, and it was an immediate clash of personalities between both boys. Kakashi-sensei had nominated them all in the next Chuunin Exam so that they wouldn't be around each other anymore- he didn't seem to want to deal with them, and she didn't care to put much of an effort in mediation. If it had been Sasuke and Naruto- well, their fighting had been fun- they had challenged each other into being better ninja. The only thing both Sai and Sasuke had reached was a silent hatred for each other, because even though they had all become chuunin, Tsunade-sama had the habit of putting the three of them together on missions.

She supposed the only one that had gotten off easy was Kakashi-sensei, because he was no longer expected to supervise them, and though he did show up every now and then to check up on them, he seemed to have checked out of the Team emotionally. So much of the vibrancy had left with Naruto. Even now, she didn't know why they bothered to meet up here every week- she often felt that it was a wasted effort- they weren't much of a Team, but she knew that Team Eight and Ten still met up all the time, and she didn't want to be left out of that- even when it was with two emotionally (and probably mentally) distant boys.

Sakura brushed her hair out of her face as she approached both boys. Judging by Sasuke's disinterested pose- hands in pockets, leaning against the bridge railing, eyes distant and probably wondering why he was still here- why he bothered associating with them, he was probably feeling the same as her. Sai was also leaning against the rail, but he was also drawing in his portable notebook, gazing alternately at the buildings around them. She noticed that he had a new notebook, having gone through so many, no doubt.

Sai lifted his eyes from the pad and smiled at her- his fake smile, lacking substance or compassion. She didn't know _why_ he bothered to smile when he didn't want to- Sasuke never did- _hell_, she couldn't remember the last time she had seen the Uchiha smile. His face was either blank or on the verge of frowning. She wondered what it would look like when she tells him about Naruto.

"Hey guys," she gave another brief wave, her eyes zoning on Sasuke. "I've got some important news." Sasuke turned his dark brown eyes on her. "Naruto woke up."

She saw him stiffen, saw from the corner of her eyes, Sai stop drawing, eyes on them.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, almost coldly, almost empty. He _almost_ managed to look unconcerned. Almost. But she saw his hands drop from his pockets, saw them clench. Sasuke had only seen Naruto once in the hospital, nearly a year after he was reinstated. She remembered how angry his eyes had been, how he had stayed by the door but never took his eyes from his motionless rival. He had stared at his eyes- they all had- for some reason they tended to stay open, fixed on the ceiling. She knew that Sasuke watched him to see awareness- she had done it on every visit. But Naruto hadn't done anything of the sort, until yesterday.

"I mean exactly what I said. He woke up, he was talking and everything." His eyes widened. Yeah, that surprised everyone.

"Naruto's your messed up friend right?" Sai asked with a smile.

"Shut the fuck up Sai," Sasuke replied, not bothering to even glance at him, his eyes staring at their surroundings. "Kakashi-sensei's not here..."

Yeah, Kakashi-sensei was on a mission- he was always on a mission. "You want to go see him?" Sakura asked, excitement brewing.

"What use would you have going to see a bed-ridden ex-mate?" Sai continued to smile.

Sakura sighed. "He's not an ex-mate. Naruto is-"

"Weak," Sai cut in. "Tried to commit suicide and was too stupid to get it right."

Sakura felt rage run through her, lips curling in response. "Don't you ever wonder why no one likes to talk to you?" He just continued to smile, ignoring her glare and Sasuke's cold gaze. She turned to Sasuke. "So? Do you want to go see him?"

"No," Sasuke replied stuffing his hands back into his pocket. "I have a mission to do." he promptly left.

Sai broke into laughter; she cut him off as she punched him, narrowly missing him and smashing her fist through the rails. No doubt if her aim had been true, she would have broken a bone or two in that bastards body. Sai continued to chuckle as he walked away. Sakura struggled to temper her rage as she turned away. She had to admit that she had acquired quite a temper- the fact that both Naruto and Sasuke had left her- and Kakashi-sensei in his own way too- that they had checked out of the Team like it hadn't mattered. Well, for Naruto it might have been for more dire matters, but she found it near impossible to forgive Sasuke for trying to leave, for believing that he couldn't gain strength here, with his friends. She never knew they had meant so little to him.

She sighed. I _hope Naruto isn't hurt that Sasuke doesn't want to see. It's probably best that I don't say anything_. She rubbed her fist and left the bridge, deciding to search out the others. No doubt, Ino had already spread the word.

-------

He had lied. He didn't have a mission to do. Sasuke felt like hitting someone- which wasn't new; he had been wanting to hit someone since he was seven. But the urge was especially strong at this moment.

Naruto was awake. _What_ a surprise.

He moved to the training grounds, stretching his neck and moved though a few warm-ups via taijutsu. He tried to focus on the poles, tried to get into the mood, to work up a good sweat, but he felt cold inside. Instead he leaned against the pole and glared at the grass. The last time he had seen Naruto was three years ago- he had been in the same place he no doubt was now. Sakura had nagged and nagged for him to come and he had finally given in. He had gone into that room, stood as far as he could while Sakura brushed blond hair and adjusted blankets. Naruto's eyes never moved from the ceiling- he neither laughed, smiled, or frowned. The number one most surprising ninja had done something completely and utterly surprising. Too surprising. The news of his almost death had stopped Sasuke from finishing an attack that would have at least incapacitated Kakashi-sensei and allow him to make it to Sound.

But he had froze in that one moment when the elite jounin had tossed that piece of news at him- one stupid second of hesitation.

He didn't think he wanted to see him, didn't particularly want to know why Naruto had tried to take his own life. But he knew that Sakura would nag and nag, and Kakashi-sensei would too, if he ever bothered to return from his current mission. He half expected that the silver haired man wouldn't- and that just wasn't fair.

--------

About five minutes after Iruka-sensei had left, having to return to duties but promising to return tomorrow, Kiba and Hinata entered. Naruto almost didn't recognize Inuzuka- he was much taller, of course, but his face was more narrow, jaw a bit more chiseled. The markings remained on his face, a reminder of someone else that also had similar markings on his face- Jiraiya. Kiba wore a jounin's vest over a gray shirt and brown pants, and beside him, Hinata also wore a vest, a chuunin's, over a dark blue shirt and black pants. Her face was also older, her hair longer- she was very pretty actually. Coming in behind them was a large white dog, the size of a pony, and its bark almost made him flinch.

"Hey Uzumaki," Kiba greeted, lifting a hand, voice deep and not as he remembered it. Hinata blushed and ducked her head as a greeting.

"Hey dog-breath," Naruto greeted in return, inwardly grimacing at his own cracked, not so deep, voice. It still sounded like it belonged to someone else. "Is that Akamaru? He's so big!"

"Damn straight he is," Kiba replied with a proud laugh, but Naruto could sense the nervousness behind it. He looked at the Hyuuga heiress.

"Hey Hinata-chan," he waved at her, and she smiled shyly, ducking her head again. The same as he remembered.

"We heard that you were awake, and I just couldn't believe it! We thought you were never going to wake up." The last few words from Kiba almost seemed accusatory.

"Yeah," Naruto muttered weakly, struggling to hold his smile. Akamaru moved to the side of the bed and licked his face with his large pink tongue- Naruto chuckled and patted the dog's large head. Damn he was big! His smile faded as depression took over, hair falling into his face, missing the nervous glances Hyuuga and Inuzuka sent toward each other as he visibly wilted before their eyes.

"Cheer up man! You'll be out of here in no time," Kiba encouraged, but Naruto barely heard him. He wanted to stop thinking right now. And he wanted a haircut.

Just then, Sakura returned, followed by Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. Everyone- no surprise- was taller, older, though managing to still look like themselves, still wearing the same hairstyles- except for Sakura of course, who had decided to grow her hair back again, and it was all the way down to the small of her back.

"Didn't I tell you," Ino beamed at Shikamaru. "He's awake."

Shikamaru nodded, quiet eyes drifting to look at Kiba, who also gave him a look. Naruto's eyes narrowed. A feeling came back to him, quite suddenly, a very familiar feeling. He hadn't felt it in so long, it had been a feeling of the past, but it was here again. Someone knew something about him, there was this big secret that everyone knew, except for him, and they all intended to hide it from him. Resentment ran through him, a bitterness, like learning about Kyuubi all over again, and he was back to feeling glum and wishing they would all leave.

"Look what I brought you," Sakura chimed, revealing a steaming bowl of ramen. Naruto blinked at it, then looked up at her. Her grass green eyes were bright with hope and goodwill, lips turned up in a gentle smile. Her face was earnest- he should be able to trust her- she was Sakura-chan, his Teammate.

"Thanks Sakura-chan," he took the bowl from her and placed it on his lap. Breaking the sticks, he was unfortunately interrupted by the nurse, who took that moment to bustle in.

"Uzumaki-san!" she exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing both bowl and chopsticks from his hands. "You cannot eat this stuff yet! Your stomach's not ready." She glared at the other occupants. "Please do not feed my patient until given permission," she chided, then turning back to him, said, "Uzumaki-san, if you were hungry, you should have eaten this morning."

Naruto scowled and ignored her while Sakura sent him an apologetic look.

"Where's Sasuke?" Kiba asked suddenly, and Sakura's mouth turned down slightly at the corners.

"Shut up Kiba," Ino snapped in exasperation, but Kiba wasn't deterred.

"No really- has he been here yet?" He sent an inquiring gaze toward Naruto, who shrugged and looked at Sakura, who sighed and shook her head. "Whatever," Kiba replied in disgust, patting Akamaru's massive head. Naruto's eyes darted between the group, taking in Shikamaru's wary gaze, Chouji's nervous munching, Ino and Sakura's poorly veiled irritation, Hinata's nervous shifting, and Kiba's apparent anger.

"What's wrong with Sasuke?" he asked.

"What isn't?" Shikamaru mumbled. Kiba snickered as Sakura glared at them.

"_What_?" Naruto demanded, worry rushing through him. Kiba's face moved from spiteful to concerned while Ino gave him a 'look what you've done' face.

"Well," Sakura moved closer to the bed. "A few years ago, Sasuke tried to-well...leave."

"Leave?" Confusion rushed through him. "Where- I mean, when? I don't remember this!"

The group glanced at one another anxiously.

"You were asleep, Naruto."

"Where'd he go- or try to go?"

"Well...he tried to go to Orochimaru. To Otogakure."

Naruto paled, staring down at his sheets, feeling quite cold. Sasuke had tried to leave? To Orochimaru? An enemy of Konoha, who had killed the Third? Why would he do something like that? If Naruto had been awake...he would have stopped him- stopped him from even _making_ such a decision. A headache was coming, a bad one.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" he rasped. "Where's Jiraiya? I want to see Jiraiya."

Then the nurse was ushering them out, all looking disturbed and guilty, until it was just him and the nurse. She proceeded to help him to the bathroom so he could relieve himself- and while he was there, helped him wash up. He was, of course, mortified by this, but she assured him that she had seen it all, and all of him- on multiple occasions, so it wasn't a big deal and he shouldn't worry about it.

Yeah right.

It was as he was waiting for her to finish changing the sheets that she spoke of what they had been talking about.

"Is Kakashi a silver haired ninja, young, with one eye covered by his hitai-ate?"

"Yeah."

The nurse frowned as she tucked the sheets under the mattress. "Yes well, he did come to see you occasionally, maybe every two weeks or so. He was very disturbed by your...state of being. I think he will be very happy to see you awake." She helped him back into bed. "Now Iruk- Umino-san- he came every week," her grey eyes softened as she spoke of him. "He loves you very much." Naruto grimaced and she gave him a gentle pat on his knees. "And so does Haruno-chan. Did she tell you she's been pursuing a career as a medic-nin because she wanted to find a way to wake you? She's been 'prenticing with the Godaime herself."

She tucked him in then, and left him with his thoughts, all of them brooding, over Sasuke, over Kakashi-sensei, over the state of his Team. What had happened? What had he done?

---------------

The days passed, visitors came and went, Shino with his silent presence, Neji, with his pale pupilless eyes that gazed at him in silent speculation, to Konohamaru's vibrant attitude- he too was much older, and a genin now. But they all were the same, avoiding the truth, skirting around it, not willing to tell him what had happened, until he was at the point where he didn't want to see anyone, didn't care to make conversation.

He did ask Tsunade, when she had the time to come, where Jiraiya had gone, and for once got a very straight answer- that Konoha had been a very painful place for him to be, so he had taken to wandering again. But she had sent a message telling Jiraiya of his awakening.

Kakashi-sensei had yet to return.

In the meantime, he worked on his muscle strength, for hours a day forcing himself to stand, forcing himself to walk, doing all the exercises Chiza advised, with the radiant help from Rock Lee, who had appointed himself as Naruto's personal coach most days when he wasn't on a mission. With his help, Naruto had started walking again, not very well, but Dr. Chiza was surprised at how quickly he had gained the strength to stand. Iruka-sensei and Sakura-chan came just about every day, bearing tales of the outside world, a mission or two that she had gone on that she thought he might find exciting to hear about. The others came when they could.

When he was alone, he stared at the ceiling and tried to force his brain to remember what had happened, but only received headaches, nausea, or a sense of impending dread. But whatever had happened, he had to know- just _had_ to.

----

It started on a good day- he and Chiza had gone over his exemplary progress- he was walking on his own without assistance, he had gained fifteen pounds in the week and a half that he had been awake, brain scans were showing up normal- Chiza was even talking about his release in a few weeks. Things were looking up.

It was after the nurse finished cutting his hair that Sakura-chan wandered in, a bowl of ramen in her hands (he was on solids again and no longer had to avoid applesauce) her eyes bright, and in came another behind her. For a split second, he thought it was Sasuke, for he was dark haired and pale- except this person was smiling rather pleasantly, which Sasuke never did, and was dressed similar to Anbu he had seen. His eyes were so dark that he couldn't see his pupils, and they weren't smiling at all. Sakura glanced behind her, stiffening when she saw him.

"Sai! What are you doing here?" She didn't bother hiding her irritation.

"Why shouldn't I come?" he replied pleasantly. "I'm part of the Team aren't I?"

Naruto brushed blond strands from his shoulders and stood up from the chair. "Whose Team?" He asked. This Sai wasn't part of the Rookie Nine. Sakura hastily placed the bowl on the table and turned angry eyes on the ninja.

"Part of Team Seven of course. Didn't they tell you?"

Naruto's eyes widened in horror, and he looked at Sakura for confirmation. She didn't bother looking at him, her eyes simmering only for Sai. Naruto felt like someone had punched him in the stomach for all that it was suddenly hard to breath. He had been replaced- his Team had replaced him with another person, and no one had bothered to tell him.

"_What's wrong with you?"_ Sakura was practically screaming, though for some reason it sounded like it was coming from a distance.

'You two need to take this outside," the nurse was saying.

Then Sai was saying, "Be realistic Sakura. He's damaged goods. They don't let ninja back in who have tried to take their own lives. They're too unstable."

Sai's words seemed unusually loud. Take their own lives? Suicide? Who was he talking about? His eyes darted to Sakura, and she was staring at him in horror. The world seemed shaky, of a sudden. He turned his head toward the nurse who had been at his side, but she was now making a phone call, eyes darting toward him in concern as she spoke into the receiver.

He had tried to kill himself?

**Don't. **

That was stupid- no, that was completely _unlike_ him. He would _never-_

**Don't.**

He was vaguely aware that his head felt fit to burst. He would never try to take his own life- there-there just wasn't any reason for it! Now his mind felt on the brink, Sakura had moved to touch him, green eyes filled with fear, mouth moving, but there was no sound coming forth. Then something broke, something in his head- he literally felt it, the world swirling red. He was sure he screamed.

And he remembered. Remembered _everything_.

He was choking on them, like his throat had swelled up, or was constricted, by the rope- by the rope he had put up to stop the madness.

He was supposed to be dead-supposed to be dead-supposed to be _dead_. How had he failed? Somehow he knew that he was howling, and someone came into his sight, and though the world was in ribbons of red, he knew him.

Sasuke. It was Sasuke. And it was all _Sasuke's fault. _Sasuke had done this to him- he remembered. Sasuke had done this.

His own voice came to him, ragged and torn. "Get out!" He was screaming. "_Get out of here! I hate you, I hate you, I'll kill you!" _He could feel his chakra moving about the room, raging from his body, but all he could see were red eyes, burning him. They enraged him, horrified him. He _hated_ them. "_I'll kill you,_" he was still screaming, even as dark shadows moved and grabbed his arms- the shadows tossed him on his back, knocking the air out of him, but only for a second, because he was fighting them off, eyes frozen on those red eyes, forever hating him, making him do those horrible things that he had done to that woman and man.

"_I hate you,_" He howled, trying to reach the eyes, to tear them out, to destroy them like they had destroyed him. "_I hate you, I hate you!_"

He felt pain in his leg, felt hands holding him down, felt a great weakness rush over him.

"_You did this to me,"_ he hissed to the eyes. "_You did this to me_."

A voice finally came through to him, a completely familiar voice.

**Calm yourself. Do as I say, and no one will harm you. Calm yourself, Naruto.**

"No," Naruto moaned. Feeling hot tears running down his face. Hands were still holding his arms and legs to the floor, though he managed to turn his body on his side.

"I'm _so sorry,_ Naruto," someone was sobbing. "So sorry." Sakura came into view, face swollen with tears, cradling her left arm, which was bloody- how did that happen? "I'm sorry," she said again.

No, he was sorry. He was oh so sorry. He saw someone briefly with a syringe, tried to struggle, but the hands gripped him harder, people he couldn't see grunting as they pressed their weight on him. He was sorry, sorry he didn't die the first time, sorry _he'd had to, _and mostly, sorry that he was going to have to do it again.

**Calm yourself.**

There was a pinch, he hiccuped, and slipped away into the darkness.

----------------

Sakura sniffled on the table as the nurse, Yayoi was her name, patched her arm up; there were gashes along with second degree burns on it from Naruto's chakra. She would have done it herself, but she was too shaken up, and Yayoi had offered to do it for her.

Now she knew why Chiza had been so adamant that no one tell Naruto about what had happened; her skin ran cold as memory returned. She knew the moment Naruto had remembered, his eyes had filled with bloody tears, and his face as twisted in such awful pain, such horror- and then Sasuke had come in and Naruto had started screaming. Red chakra had flown from his body, whipping about the room, tossing the bed and dresser. All the while Naruto had been screaming something awful at Sasuke, who had stood stunned in the doorway- Sai had retreated into a corner, weapons out, but he may as well have been invisible for all that Naruto noticed him. Three jounin from the next room over who had been visiting a wounded friend had responded to the level of chakra Naruto had been giving off, rushing into the room, battle ready. They had knocked him to the floor, but he had tossed them away, eyes never moving from Sasuke, howling that he hated him.

They had finally managed to hold him down, had injected him twice with sedatives before they started working. She couldn't recall when she had gotten injured, she could only remember the sheer despair on Naruto's bloody face right before he succumbed to the drugs.

Her shoulders hunched as Yayoi finished wrapping her arm. The nurse too had been crying- she had been taking care of Naruto during the day for the last three and a half years. She stepped back, hands on her hips, a tearful frown on her face.

Another nurse came in, moving toward Yayoi.

"The sedatives are wearing off, so they had to strap him to the bed, He's managed to give himself a fever, the poor thing." Then she left...she must be the night nurse.

Yayoi sighed, crossing her arms under her breasts, looking at Sakura.

"He was blaming your teammate for the state he was in. Do you know something about that?"

Sakura slid from the table, her green eyes gleaming. "No," she replied as she walked to the door. "But I'm going to find out..._after_ I kick Sai's ass."

**TBC**

**DwD will most likely be updated by the end of this week.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to Daystar Clarion

**Uzumaki's War**

_**Chapter Three**_

The walls of Sasuke's room were the same as they had been since the day he had moved into the place more than a decade ago. Bare. There were no photos, works of art, or anything other on them, and for the first time the Uchiha wished there was. It would have given him something to stare at in the gloom, but he was stuck with plain lined wallpaper. He was sitting in a chair beside his dresser, hands on his knees, mind playing over the events of earlier.

He hadn't known what had made him decide to see Uzumaki, but after his failed warm-up, his feet had wandered to the hospital and down the cold corridors. The room Naruto occupied was open, and when he entered, it was to see that Sai was there. Before he could voice his disdain for the others' presence, he had caught sight of Naruto, who in turn, had seen him...and screamed at him, accused him, threatened him, hated him. There were two instances in his life that had shocked him, one had been returning to the Uchiha compound to find his clan dead, and the other had been the news of Naruto's attempted suicide. This had just joined the list. He had left the blonds' screams behind quickly- he couldn't ever recall retreating so fast before.

Why had Naruto blamed _him_? What had _he_ done?

"_I hate you, I hate you!" S_asuke winced as Naruto's ragged screams bounced through his head. _"You did this to me." _But what had he done?

The sound of the door opening came to him, but he did not have to glance over to know that it was Sakura; only she and Kakashi-sensei had the keys to his apartment, and since the jounin was never there, it could only be the kunoichi. She appeared in the bedroom doorway, standing there a moment before speaking.

"What's going on?"

What indeed...

"Sasuke? What happened between the two of you?"

"Nothing Sakura. If you haven't noticed, he's been brain dead."

"He said that you did-"

"I _know_ what he said Sakura," Sasuke snapped. "I just don't understand _why_."

Sakura blew an agitated breath and crossed the room, sitting down on his bed. "God Sai is such a bastard..."

Sasuke looked at her. "What did he do?"

She began to wring her fingers as she spoke. "None of us had mentioned Sai- didn't think it would be a good idea, with Naruto stressing out about his lack of memory. I didn't see Sai come in after me, but he revealed who he was to Naruto, and what he had done. And then you came in." She gazed at him. "These last four years- there's nothing I've wanted more than to know why Naruto had tried to harm himself. I _know_ there's a reason- I'm even willing to believe that it was an attempted murder. But he was screaming at _you_ Sasuke, he had eyes for no one but you. Maybe-"

"Sakura-"

"Maybe you said something-"

"Sakura-"

"It could be something insignificant to you-"

"_Sakura!"_ he hissed, and she shut up. "Leave it! I don't know what he was talking about." He watched her features form into a sullen frown.

"You don't know- or you really don't care? Which one is it, because I'm betting on the latter." She got up from the bed and headed for the doorway, pausing to stare back at him with familiar green accusing eyes. "The only thing you've managed to stay true to is how much you never pretend to care."

Sasuke looked away from her to stare at the blank walls again, hearing her exit the apartment quietly.

* * *

A murmuring came to him, low, from the back of his head somewhere, and his eyes fluttered open, light seeming to blind him momentarily before focusing on the ceiling. He was shaking, body trembling, there was sweat on his skin- his face, and as he tried to lift his hand to wipe away the moisture, found his arms unable to move. He lifted his head sluggishly to look down at his body, and discovered to his dismay that there were white straps across his torso, wrists and ankles, holding to his bed.

_The hell is this?! _His mind cried, yanking at the straps, and the strange murmuring stopped, and an opaque voice took its place.

**They strapped you to the bed. You were flailing about.**

"You!" Naruto gasped, dread and horror returning to him along with memory. "Get out of my head!"

**You know I can't do that**, the Voice echoed in his right ear; he jerked his head in that direction, yanking harder at the straps around his wrists all the while.

"I'm supposed to be dead! Why am I still here?" He could feel his skin chafing as he continued to struggle. He could remember the feeling of the rope crushing his trachea- the intense pain and fear that seemed to engulf him in that moment. Beside him the EKG machine increased its beeps along with his heart rate.

**You were saved,** the Voice murmured.

"No," Naruto grit his teeth, anger raging through him. "I have to stop this- I have to-"

**Calm yourself**, the Voice cut in. **We tried your way, but you failed. We'll do things **_**my**_** way now. **_**I'll**_** take care of you.**

Naruto stared incredulously around the room, vaguely noticing that it was different from the other one he had occupied. "You've got to be kidding! You're nothing! You're just a-" The door opened, and the nurse he knew entered quickly, face twisted in concern as she rushed to his side. "Get me out of this!"

"You need to calm down Uzumaki-san, please. You're hurting yourself." Her hands flew to his wrists, and he saw that he had removed a decent amount of skin from trying to free them.

"Unstrap me. I swear I won't do anything. Just get me out of this!"

The nurse gave him a skeptical look, but reluctantly began to release the buckles around his torso and wrists. "Okay, but let me treat your wrists. Those could get infected."

The door opened again, and Tsunade entered.

Naruto averted his eyes, more anger rushing through him as the nurse finished smearing antiseptic on his wrists and wrapped them. While Tsunade had sat there, telling him nothing, she had made sure to leave out that he was no longer part of Team Seven. They all had- his mouth turned down at the realization. All his so-called friends had kept the most important thing from him, his Team. Was this punishment for not dying? Or was it because of what he had done to those two people? His heart began to pound madly. Had they found pieces of them?

**No,** the Voice said. **We were thorough. They know nothing of it, and as long as you do as I say, they never will. It'll be **_**our little secret, **_the Voice whispered in his ear. Naruto flinched.

"Naruto?" Tsunade's voice was slightly hesitant; he ignored her, instead staring emptily at the ceiling. "Sakura told me you remembered what happened to you." He did not reply, and the room was silent but for the beeps of the machine. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Do you want to tell me who Sai is?" he snapped back, unable to hold his silence. The Hokage sighed.

"Your Teammates were still genin, and a three man cell was needed in order for them to continue as shinobi."

His lips thinned out. "You should have told me."

"You have a lot more important things to worry about, Naruto." From the corner of his eye he spied her crossing her arms under her breasts.

"I had no choice," he replied, seeing her stiffen. "It was nec-" his tongue suddenly stuck to the roof of his mouth, his throat and body seemed to seize, leaving him choking, trying to grab at his throat, but his hand wasn't working right, and he wound up smacking his forehead.

**Not another word**, the Voice commanded in one ear, blocking out Tsunade's concerned inquiries. **They must never know. **_**Never**_** speak of it again. **

He could breath again, taking in great gasps of air, slumping weakly in the bed, his whole body aching.

"Mild seizure...'" Tsunade was saying, her hands on him, chakra flowing through him and soothing the ache in his muscles.

**As I've said, I'll be taking care of you now. Your wellbeing is my only concern. They must never know.**

Naruto was stunned speechless. _Was it you? Was it you that made me kill them?_

**No**, the Voice sounded like it was coming from across the room. **But I'll be taking care of you now.**

"You can't control me," Naruto hissed back.

"No one's trying to control you, Naruto," Tsunade replied, startling him out of his mental battle. He saw the nurse inject something into his IV.

"What's that? What did you put into me?!"

Tsunade turned his head, making him look at her. "It's just a muscle relaxer. You just had a seizure, so its going to help you relax." Sure enough, he felt his muscles loosen more, and his breathing even out.

"Okay," he muttered as she released his head, drowsiness taking over again. How many times were they going to drug him? He felt Tsunade's fingers run through his shortened hair, very soothing despite the fact that he was angry with her. He slipped back into unconsciousness.

-----------

He woke on his side, facing the machines, and immediately knew that someone was in the room with him by the slight raising of the hairs at the nape of his neck. He stared at the machines, mind rolling over his state of being. He had listened to the Voice before- the Voice had covered up his crimes, the Voice had kept him from the edge. But it had all been for naught- he had long since been past the edge, the moment he had awakened in that bathtub he had been finished. And he had known that then, but he understood it more now-

"What did Sasuke do?"

Naruto's teeth ground together harshly, his hands curled into tight fists, his muscles clenched. Sasuke.

"Naruto?" Sakura's voice was thick with concern, her hand resting on his stiff, hunched shoulder.

This was all Sasuke's fault- that rotten bastard! He had gone out of his way to find Tsunade, risked his very life to convince her to be Hokage so that she could heal him. He had been so worried about his rival. And how was he treated by the Uchiha? With contempt and disdain- he had even charged up his Chidori to attack him. It was clear that nothing he could ever do would be good enough for anyone.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura whined. "Talk to me."

And what about her? His mind ran over all the mission stories she had told him, and no doubt had edited all of Sai's participation. Maybe that's why Kakashi-sensei wasn't around- Naruto had been replaced by this Sai person- he was no longer useful. What were the odds that the jounin wasn't even on a mission- he was most likely right here in the village. Despair descended. Why had he bothered awakening? It would have been better if he had stayed asleep- he had been as close to death as he could have hoped! What had awakened him?

**The Fox woke you.**

_What?! _Naruto unclenched his hands, pressing his lips together so that he didn't talk aloud.

**The Fox woke you. Did you not feel it?**

Naruto didn't remember anything before waking, except jerking awake.

**That was when.**

"Naruto? Please talk to me," Sakura pleaded, voice cracking. "I'm sorry about Sai, I really am. I know how important the Team is to you- that's why I couldn't tell you. I'm so sorry." Naruto turned his head to peer back over his shoulder at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed, mouth turned down in dismay, wringing her fingers. Her glassy eyes pleaded with him for forgiveness.

"What's he like?" Naruto grumbled, watching relief, then anger cross her pretty face.

"You saw him, he's an asshole. Sasuke and I barely stand him."

Naruto turned himself over so that he was facing her fully. "And Kakashi-sensei?"

She gave him a wan smile. "I can't really say. Kakashi-sensei's been...distant since...well..." she shook her head rapidly. "Don't worry about it. All that matters is that you get better. Jiraiya-sama will be back in no time- there's a Chuunin Exam coming around...you're one of the strongest people I know. You'll be jounin in no time."

Naruto couldn't help but smile.

"How about I get you some Ramen?" she offered, and he grinned. "Alright! I'll be right back." She jumped up from the chair and exited the room.

Naruto's smile dropped from his face.

**That's the thing about lies,** the Voice said. **Once you start, its hard to stop.** Naruto stared at the door. **You heard that boy Sai, they don't accept ninja who have attempted suicide.**

_What do I do?_ Fear lanced through him.

**Don't worry. Do as I say, and all will be well.**

Naruto picked at the bandages around his wrists as misgivings arose. He had tried to off himself out of concern for Sakura and Sasss....Again his body clenched up, and he was gritting his teeth and making tight fists.

**Don't worry, I'll take care of him. Everything will be fine. Just do as I say.**

**-----------**

The Voice kept him company over the next few days, along with his so-called friends...he felt bad over his resentment for them, but he couldn't seem to stop it. Despite their happy smiles, cajoling nature, he read into every glance between them, every word they hesitated on was analyzed by him, and when he chose to ignore it, the Voice did it for him.

**They wonder about you,** the Voice would say. **They can't be trusted. **The Voice was making him paranoid- not that he needed any help in that department- he half expected Tsunade to mention the two people he had killed. What were the odds that they knew? Maybe they were simply waiting for him to get 'better' to spring it on him. Did they execute ninja who went crazy? Or was there a special, dark place for them? **Perhaps**, the Voice commented.** But surely for you there is a special place. I'm sure the village councilors had it built the day the Fox was put in you**. Naruto shuddered. **You're not like them, Naruto. You're **_**lesser**_**, in their opinion. You'll always **_**be**__**lesser**_**.**

_Shut up! _Naruto thought angrily. He hated the Voice, hated how it was always there, hated the way it spoke, _so_ rational, as if it had it _all_ figured out. He hated most that he knew it didn't exist, that it was his own broken, weak mind that was plaguing him.

He walked, exercised, and he ate food that ceased to have much taste, never alone. The nurse Yayoi was there during the day, or Iruka -sensei, or Sakura, and of course, for the hours they were not, the Voice was always there. His thoughts were never his own, and an undefinable weight settled over his mind. It must have shown, somewhere on his face, or by the set of his shoulders, or maybe by his silence. They stopped trying to cheer him up, started to ask questions again- they were back to wanting to know why he had tried to kill himself. Twice he had tried to say, but the Voice would stop him- his tongue would become a dead muscle, his throat and body would seize. They now medicated him for epilepsy, though he had no such thing.

On one evening,he had decided to write out the reason to Iruka-sensei, but when he had pressed the pen to the paper, discovered that he could no longer write. He couldn't spell, couldn't think up any characters- wasn't even sure what they _were. _And as he sat there, staring at the paper, knowing that not ten seconds ago he could very well write, understood that he was trapped. Trapped by his own wayward mind. The revelation had sent him to tears, which had greatly distressed his former sensei, who hadn't known what he wanted the paper for. The instructor had hugged him, rubbed his shoulders, whispered empty reassurances in his ears, but he did not hear them- he could only hear the Voice, telling him to be calm, and not to worry. But he was beyond those now. He was _terrified_.

So he stopped trying to tell them when they asked, and they realized he would not say. It left Tsunade and the medics in a tight place- it was against protocol to allow a patient to leave without addressing the cause of their admittance. Naruto had tried to kill himself, and if it wasn't addressed and dealt with, he was in danger of doing it again. Which was why he was still a resident of the hospital and not at his apartment when he was healthy enough to simply walk out of there.

Tsunade had explained all of this to him, no doubt expecting him to come clean, but he was now past the point of caring. Pacing his room, passing the hours arguing with himself had made him realize that he still had a choice. If they sent him to a mental institution, then he would be in a generally safe place, away from people he cared about that he could very well hurt. If he was lucky, the staff there would be nice people- this being important because he vaguely remembered that the woman he had killed had been rude to him. He remembered that suddenly. How stupid, that a wrong word, a wrong look, could have set him off like that. He had been living a life of _wrong_ for so long, and yet it all came crashing down because of Sasu-

Naruto grabbed the wooden chair by his bed and tossed it viciously against the wall, watching the wood split, legs tumbling in different directions. He grabbed the back part of the chair and repeatedly smashed it against the linoleum, imagining that it was Sasuke's head, imagining the sound of it splitting, his blood pouring over the floor, thick and hot. When that was in smaller pieces, he looked for a leg, finding one and beating it against the wall, and unsatisfied with that, he pummeled the wall with his fists, until his breath came short, and his knuckles cracked and bled. Then he was leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath, leaning his forehead against the smooth surface, and became aware that he had an audience. Dr. Chiza, along with Yayoi and several others he did not know occupied the far side of the room, standing there, trying to look calm and collected, but not pulling it off very well.

"Are you feeling better?" Chiza asked, taking a step forward, along with Yayoi. The others stayed warily back. Naruto shrugged weakly, feeling a dull throb in his hands, and glancing down, saw that they were swollen. "Why don't you sit down," the man gestured at the bed.

Naruto moved over to the bed, feeling weak, and as he sat down felt uneasiness run over him. He couldn't believe how tired he felt, doing something as simple as breaking a chair. He was out of shape- his ninja skills had probably faded. His heart was pounding again. But he still had his chakra, right? He reached for it, and it was there, ready and waiting, but he only felt a minutia of peace. He hated feeling this weak, he had to get back to training, back to getting stronger.

**No mental institution then, Naruto?** The Voice asked, coming from a distance. Yayoi took his hands in hers, examining the damage before beginning to treat them.

_No, I can't do that. I just have to be stronger. But how do I get out of here?_

**Leave that to me, and be patient. Our freedom will be soon, **the Voice sounded very confident.

And Naruto silently hoped that he would be free of the Voice soon as well, but whether that thought was even private was up for grabs, because the Voice did not comment on it either way.

**-----**

_That night, Naruto dreamed._

_He dreamed that he was walking down an empty street in the dark of night, body tired, feet aching, but he was crying. He felt like his soul was crying, his very essence, and he had been walking for hours. A brown haired woman came rushing down the street, in a hurry, adjusting her blouse, brushing back disheveled hair, looking satisfied. She hadn't seen him, he knew, and she was startled when she realized he was there. Her smile turned into a frown, seeing his distressed face, there was even a second that she was about to reach for him in concern, but then she got a real look at his face._

_Her pretty face turned into a look of disgust. "Ugh..." she spat, and the words seemed to have an echo. "It's you. Up to no good at this hour, aren't you?"_

_If any good came of it, her words stopped his shameful crying, replaced it with complete rage. She stepped away from him, not having been close at all, seeing his rage, and before she could scream, he leaped forward and grabbed her by the throat, dragged her into the closest alley._

"_Stupid bitch," he hissed, knowing that his voice did not sound like his own while she gurgled, kicked and scratched at his arms, eyes bulging. "You want to talk about being up to no good?" He shook her viciously with that arm, then reached into her gaping mouth, grasping her tongue and tearing it from her mouth, feeling the tough muscle tear. If she could scream, she would have, but he had her by the throat, and she could only make gurgles as blood poured from her mouth and onto his hand. "I'll eat your words," he smiled at her and stuffed the bloody muscle into his mouth as she watched, horrified. He chewed the organ briefly, then swallowed, baring his teeth in a bloody grin as her eyes rolled up into her head._

_Still holding her in one fist, he jumped atop a roof, surveyed his surroundings in a detached manner, then headed for the apartment where he could finish her off._

Naruto woke with vomit rising in his throat, and he rushed to the bathroom to spew into the toilet, horror rolling over him. This was bad, so very bad.

"Uzumaki-san?" The night nurse came in behind him. "Are you sick?" She came to his side as he flushed the toilet and began to wash his face and mouth. "Ah," she touched his arm. "You are pale. Let me take your temperature." She exited the bathroom as he finished brushing his teeth, and was ready with a thermometer when he went back into the room. He sat on the bed, staring glassily at the wall while she stuck it under his tongue, feeling his forehead, peering into his eyes. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were in shock," she muttered to herself.

"I am," his voice came out of his mouth, unbidden. He tried to shut it, but it continued to speak. "I thuth remembered thomthing." The nurse took the thermometer from his mouth, face serious and intense. "I remember someone putting the rope around my neck. I remember being very scared." He was stunned by these words, couldn't believe that his mouth was moving of its own accord.

The nurse looked excited. "Alright. Why don't you get some rest and I'll let the Dr. Chiza know, and he'll talk to the Hokage." She hesitated for a second. "Do you remember any faces?" His head was shaking. "Okay. Don't try too hard, it's sometimes best for these things to come out on their own, like tonight."

He lay back down as she rushed off.

_You can't control me! _He raged to the Voice. _This is _my_ head! _My_ body!_

**I just did,** the Voice came thinly. **Be at ease, I've just provided your way out of here. Now they will think someone tried to kill you.**

Some of his anger eased. _But Tsunade_-

**Will be more than happy to believe that it was an attempted foul play. She put too much hope into you to _not_ want something to believe.**

_You should have just told me what to say,_ he replied glumly.

**Be calm. Did I not say that I would take care of everything? Only do as I say.**

But he was up for the rest of the night, mind running over what he had done to Taguchi Makoto. He couldn't believe he had done that to a person- he had been a complete monster! Only a monster would have eaten something like that. His stomach seized at the thought and his hand flew to cover his mouth as he stared at the ceiling in silent horror. As things went, what she had said was nothing- it wasn't even something that should have made him so angry, and yet, it had been what ruined him.

If not for Sasuk-

He stuffed his bandaged hand in his mouth and bit down on it harshly, breathing roughly through his nostrils.

**Calm yourself,** the Voice soothed. **I'll take care of him. Don't worry, only do as I say.**

-----------

Hatake Kakashi approached the village West gates, feeling the last vestige of tension drift from his body as he saw that home was near. He would get a week or two of rest, visit his Team- though they weren't exactly a Team anymore, then he would request another long mission. He'd stop by to see Naruto before he left though- something he didn't enjoy doing. Every time he saw him, he looked more and more like his old sensei- except with less life in him.

His dark eye caught sight of a familiar man, Jiraiya-sama, with a Toad on one shoulder, rushing toward the gate as well, with a manner that was curiously hurried, but not quite urgent.

"Jiraiya," he called out, and the tall, white haired sannin paused and glanced back at him, then waved him over before continuing on. Realizing the sannin wasn't going to stop, Kakashi increased his pace until he caught up with the man, taking in the concerned face. He had seen little of the man in the last four years, twice actually, and those moments had been very brief, but he, like Tsunade-sama, hadn't seemed to age a day.

"Heard the news, have you?" The Toad Sannin asked, and concern descended as they passed through the gates, the chuunin guards waving them on.

"What happened?" Had the village been attacked? More trouble with Sound?

Jiraiya sent him a surprised frown. "Has no one told you? Naruto's awake."

**TBC**

**As a notice- I don't intend for this fic to be very long. Ten chapters at the most. If you're confused to what Sasuke has to do with Naruto's state of being, read the part in Silence of the Damned where he hung himself. You can also read the authors note there too.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to Daystar Clarion

Uzumaki's War

**Chapter Four**

He dozed fitfully, dreams plaguing him- or more like memories, the same images running through his mind over and over. His fingers closing around her throat, her eyes bulging from the crushing pressure- the scent of her terror; he didn't know that terror even had a smell until now. It drilled itself into him unto he could see it upon his awakening that morning, or evening- afternoon- it really didn't matter anymore. His internal clock was all messed up anyway. He lifted his hands to his face and stared at his fists, gazed at his white knuckles. He opened them, and saw the half crescent marks where his nails had pierced his flesh.

Someone cleared their throat- he lowered his hands and spotted a very familiar face that he hadn't seen in quite some time. His face split into a grin, involuntary really, and the white haired man's teeth gleamed back at him in response.

"So the brat awakes," he stated, dark eyes twinkling. Naruto gave a good natured smile and sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Where have you been?" he complained- whined really, but he imagined he was allowed some whining room.

"I've been around," Jiraiya leaned back in the extra chair, pulling several small colorful books from his sleeves. "Wrote several more of these."

"What a perv," Naruto replied, but he couldn't stop grinning.

"Looks like I came back on an important day," Jiraiya began, face going serious. "One of your nurses said you claimed that you were attacked. You see any faces?"

Once again his mouth moved on its own volition, his face as well, the muscles drawing into a frown. "I...I can't remember it that well, except that it was someone I knew..." his eyes drifted to the sheets he was sitting on, then moved up to stare at his sensei. "Yes, it was someone I knew, because I _do_ remember letting them in, and I wouldn't just let in someone I don't know. I'm not that stupid." _Stop this!_ He shouted to the Voice. _Stop controlling me_! But the Voice continued on. "It must have been a henge."

Jiraiya's dark eyes gazed at him in silent speculation; he felt a wave of terror run through him. _He knows!_ Naruto's face paled. _He _must_ know what I've done_.

**Calm yourself,** the Voice cautioned. **He knows nothing**.

_Yes he does! _Naruto replied. _He's smart! He knows things! _He was wringing his fingers in distress, jumping when Jiraiya dropped a hand on his shoulder.

"Take it easy," the toad sannin admonished, looking concerned. Naruto took a deep breath and looked at the man.

"I just wanna get out of here. I need to train more of I want to be Hok-ka-k-" His lips curled up, his brows furrowing. He quickly wiped his face, trying to brush away the evidence of-well- whatever the hell that was. Suddenly it seemed like he was having issues with certain words- probably more signs of brain damage. He gave a nervous smile. "I bet there some awesome new jutsu you have to show me."

Jiraiya smiled. "I'll talk to Tsunade- it'll be good to get you out of here."

Naruto beamed.

-----------

Shikamaru walked into the room, eyes darting between the seven people standing in various spots in the room, his eyes immediately darting to newer faces- Jiraiya-sama and Hatake Kakashi. Both he hadn't seen in some time, though Jiraiya-sama he hadn't seen personally in four years or so. Shizune-san and Sakura stood on either side of Tsunade-sama, who sat at her desk. Iruka-sensei stood slightly apart from them, while Neji leaned against a wall, hands buried in his sleeves, pale eyes watching them all.

Tsunade-sama gestured for him to come forward, and he nodded a greeting towards the others. "I need Neji and you to recount the day you found Naruto. There are some things we need to go over again."

He grimaced, glancing at Neji. He didn't like spending too much time remembering the events of that day four years ago. "You start. You saw him first." All eyes turned to the Hyuuga, who gave him a brief glare before opening his mouth.

"We went to retrieve him to pursue Uchiha. Nara knocked on his door- he didn't answer." Shikamaru had a feeling Neji was going to make this as short as possible. Tsunade-sama leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk as she gazed at him. "I activated the Byakugan-"

"Why?" The interruption came from Jiraiya-sama, causing them all to blink at him. "Why did you activate the Byakugan?"

"He was taking too long to answer." he stared back at them a moment, as if waiting for more questions.

"Go on," Tsunade-sama coaxed. "What did you see?"

"I saw Uzumaki hanging...from the ceiling..." Neji shifted against the wall uncomfortably, glancing over at him. "Nara kicked open the door and I rushed in to free him."

"What was the condition of his home?" Kakashi asked.

Shikamaru spoke up. "Nothing was out of order, a couple of scrolls here and there, but there was clearly no sign of a struggle." He remembered like it had happened yesterday. "You may want to ask Kiba and Chouji- they may have seen something I missed."

The Hokage leaned back the chair with a sigh, rubbing her temples, and for a brief second, he saw a few wrinkles appear around her lips and eyes, but when he squinted there was nothing but youthful flesh under her fingers. "Naruto claims that he was attacked," she said, causing Hyuuga to dart eyes his way.

"Attacked..." Neji repeated carefully, as if tasting the word would reveal the truth of it, staring at her. "Did he say who?"

"No," Jiraiya-sama replied in her stead.

Sakura bit her lip, having been very quiet the whole while, so when she opened her mouth, he wasn't in the least surprised. "Well, it's completely possible." She looked at the toad sannin. "He said that it was someone he thought he knew. It was obviously Sasuke. When Naruto saw him in the hospital, he claimed that Sasuke had done it to him."

Shikamaru frowned in thought. This incident had been relayed to him by word of mouth- Sakura had told Ino, Ino had told Chouji, who later, managed to tell him around a rack of ribs, so he was sure it was no longer as factual as it had been leaving Sakura's mouth. "It's a possibility," he agreed. "but if Naruto blames Sasuke, why doesn't he seem to remember who attacked him?"

"Curious indeed," Tsunade-sama looked at Sakura. "Did you ask him about Sasuke directly after he accused him?"

Sakura nodded. "He didn't seem to want to talk about it- he was more interested in Sai." She looked over at her sensei. "Have you gone to see him yet, Kakashi-sensei?"

The silver haired ninja nodded. "He was asleep though, and I still had a mission to report." Sakura looked relieved.

"So a ninja under a henge- supposing under the guise of Sasuke, attacked Naruto in his home and hung him. But there was no sign of a struggle-"

"And he had lacerations on his arms and belly," Neji added.

"Which looked self-inflicted," Shikamaru continued.

They were all silent a moment, then Tsunade-sama spoke. "We found a bloody kunai in his bathroom to go with those wounds..." They all lapsed into silence again. It seemed to him, that Naruto was trying to cover up his actions by placing the blame on someone else- that Sasuke may indeed have something to do with this, and the blond was simply hoping they would all jump to conclusions that would suit him. It was crafty...very unlike Naruto actually- but then, so was suicide, and he hadn't ever thought that was something the wild blond would do or even contemplate.

Suddenly Iruka-sensei spoke, startling them all- the chuunin had been so quiet, which surprised him; he had thought the man would be more vocal about all this, especially since he was reportedly very close to Naruto. "What about before all this?" he looked at the Hokage. "Didn't you say Naruto was withdrawn and pale?"

"Yeah, he was." Sakura answered almost grudgingly, like she wished the chuunin hadn't brought that up. "He wasn't like his usual self- not as talkative as he had been." Sounded like depression to him.

"You think he's lying?" Neji put forward plainly, and Shikamaru resisted the urge to nod.

"I think he's telling the truth," Sakura replied quickly. "It makes total sense. He thought it was Sasuke at the door, lets him in, and it attacked." Iruka-sensei gave a hesitant but thoughtful nod.

"But what about the gashes? Sure the ones on his arms could be explained away, but not the ones on his stomach, because his shirt didn't have any gashes through it. The only way those could _not_ be self inflicted is if he was held down, someone lifted up his shirt, and ran a blade along it." Neji argued, and Sakura sent him a sullen look. "And of course, even if that _had_ happened, Naruto would have at _least_ put up a fight, and no doubt would have trashed his place in order to fight back or escape. I think he's lying."

Sakura bit her lip harshly as if to hold back unpleasant things, and Shikamaru suddenly felt real sorry for her. He knew, from Ino, that Sakura didn't get along with Sai- nor did Sasuke, and their sensei was rarely around anymore...Perhaps in her mind, Naruto's revival was supposed to be the resurrection of her old Team, it was clear that was what she was hoping, and he and Neji were crushing it down. He glanced over at her sensei, but Kakashi's eyes were flat and cold, an expression he had adopted in the last few years; it was clear he wasn't getting his hopes up.

"Why don't I just take him then," Jiraiya-sama said into the silence. "He's well enough physically to leave. I'll take him out, train him up a bit. Maybe with time, he'll either remember or 'fess up. Naruto's good at keeping secrets, but he doesn't enjoy having them. He'll talk, whether he's aware of it or not."

"What about Akatsuki? Haven't they been on the move searching out jinchuuriki?" Iruka-sensei asked nervously.

"They haven't set their sights on Konoha since the last time they tried to capture him. We'll stay close to Konoha." Jiraiya-sama replied with a shrug.

This was news to him. The Akatsuki had tried to capture Naruto? When? He glanced over at Sakura, who looked none surprised at his words. He would have to talk to her later, and brave her wrath.

"Fine," the Hokage conceded. "You can take him- but give him a week here first. I still want to monitor his condition here before he goes."

Jiraiya-sama nodded. "Fine with me," His eyes drifted toward the windows. "Its been a while."

--------

The cool, fresh wind touched his skin in a welcoming way, as if greeting him from his long stay indoors, but Naruto hunched his shoulders as a cloud passed over the sun, a brief shadow over them all, allowing him to see better in a too bright world, and it mirrored what he felt inside. Like there was a shadow over him.

**And now, you are free,** the Voice commented.

"I will miss you Uzumaki-san," nurse Yayoi said behind him with tear filled eyes, and he turned to her and gave a small bow.

"Thank you for taking care of me," he smiled wanly at her. She gave him a quick hug, turned to Iruka-sensei as if she were about to say something, but turned away and rushed back into the hospital. He was actually sorry to see her go- she had been so nice to him.

Iruka-sensei turned to him. "Do you want to stay with me or back at your apartment?"

He thought the Voice would have something to say about it, but it was silent. Naruto wanted to be alone right now- he didn't want the chuunin to hover over him day and night- he needed some place where he could do some deep thinking.

"I'll go to my place," he muttered, smoothing a wrinkle in the black shirt Iruka-sensei had given him. "It probably needs some cleaning."

Iruka-sensei smiled. "Alright. I'll go with you."

"You don't have to," Naruto replied anxiously. Damn it but he wanted to be alone!

"No-no, I definitely want to help out."

**He has orders**, the Voice commented distantly. **He's supposed to stay with you.**

"Shut up,' Naruto muttered, and the chuunin turned puzzled eyes to him. He gave another wan smile and headed in the direction of his apartment, the chuunin instructor by his side. He struggled to keep his shoulders from hunching as he moved through the village, eyes darting to the crowd of people passing by and around him- not used to all the activity after being in the hospital for so long.

**Calm yourself,** the Voice cautioned.** You only have a week here, then we are free.**

Naruto resisted a scowl, eyes instead darting to several people he noticed were giving him double looks, all of them looking to be in their thirties or older, faces looking startled- one even whispering '_deja vu.'_ Naruto quickened his pace, turning down a street, then pausing in confusion. "Wasn't there a street here?" he asked, frowning. In front of him were a row of apartments and businesses where he was sure a street used to be. It was one he used to take to his place.

"Oh, there was a brief skirmish here from a nuke-nin from Kuma. The street was demolished and they had to rebuild it. That was... two and some years ago." He struggled to keep his face blank, aware that Iruka-sensei was studying his expression. "Here, let me show you another way."

He almost snapped that he knew plenty of ways to get home, secret ways in fact, but stopped himself, instead following the instructor down more familiar streets until they approached his complex. It was a different color. "When did-" he cut himself off and simply followed the man up to his door to see that it was open. Iruka-sensei stopped him, pulling out a kunai as he stepped cautiously into the apartment. Naruto patted his pockets, wishing Iruka-sensei had stashed a kunai in there somewhere when he had provided the pants. He stepped closer to the door, heard brief murmuring, then Iruka-sensei returned, closely followed by Sakura. _Great_, Naruto sighed and entered, the others at his heels. Thankfully, it was exactly as he remembered, only cleaner.

"I did some dusting and stuff," Sakura commented as he checked his bedroom, eyes zeroing on his made bed. _Where's the frog_? A chill ran through him, and he resisted the urge to search about the room. He didn't remember cleaning up the frog- he had left it on the bed. Had Sakura cleaned it? Had she seen it and wondered? He bit nervously at his fingernails as he turned to her, about to ask after it, but the girl spoke eagerly, even giving a little hop. "I had to throw out all of your clothes because they won't fit you," she patted his shoulder, and he realized how much taller than her he actually was. "So I figured I'll have to take you shopping to get new ones." There was a look of sheer glee in her eyes as she spoke, which was real creepy. So was the word 'shopping.'

"I don't want to go shopping," he muttered, slumping down on the couch.

"Too bad," Sakura said with a shrug. "The only clothes you have are the ones you are wearing."

"What about my boxers and stuff?!"

Sakura grinned. "I threw those out too." Naruto groaned and slumped into the couch, rubbing his face. "It's been my secret fantasy to dress you in some decent clothes."

_You need to invest in better fantasies, _he thought with a grimace, turning to look at Iruka-sensei, who was sitting in a chair, head resting in the palm of one hand, a satisfied half smile on his face. It was all very tiring, and he suddenly wished to lay down in his own bed and relax a bit, and maybe find out what happened to that damned toy frog that he had chopped up. Someone had to have seen that.

**We have to get rid of them, **he turned his head quickly- the Voice had come from his bedroom.

"Do you want to go now?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"No, no thanks. Maybe tomorrow. I just want to rest." He got to his feet and headed down the hall toward his room.

"Alright. But maybe you should eat something before you retire." Sakura headed for the kitchen. "I packed a few noodles in here for you."

"That's okay Sakura," he called. "I'm not hungry. I just want to sleep." He turned to Iruka-sensei. "You don't have to stay."

"That's aright Naruto, I-"

"No really, you don't have to _stay,_" he gave the man a pointed look. The chuunin looked startled.

"Naruto," he began, but he cut him off.

"I'm not a baby sensei. I've been living on my own since the orphanage kicked me out. I don't need you to watch me."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, both Sakura and Iruka-sensei looking everywhere but him for a moment. Then Sakura spoke. "We got orders, Naruto. We stay with you until you leave with Jiraiya-sama. I'm sorry but, with what happened, this is the way its gotta be."

Rage flew through him, hot and irrational; he was moving toward her, but then Iruka-sensei was in his way, looking at him like he had never seen him before.

"Get. Out," he hissed menacingly in the chuunin's face.

"Naruto calm-"

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'm _sick_ of everyone telling me to calm down. If I have to hear those words _one more time_-"

"Naruto," Iruka-sensei's face was pale, but his mouth hadn't moved. The voice did not belong to him. Naruto spun to the door, ready to release his fury upon the newcomer, but it deserted him when his eyes connected with Kakashi's. The jounin was standing in the doorway, eye taking in the scene with disapproval, staring at him. Naruto paled, quickly backing away from his former sensei, eyes riveted on the silver haired man. Why was he here? Shouldn't he be off doing important missions- or worse, spending time with that Sai person and Sas...

**Calm your-**

"_Shutupshutupshutup!"_ He pounded his fists against his skull and headed for his room, quickly shutting and locking it behind him.

**If you don't want me taking over Naruto,** the Voice whispered distantly, t**hen you need to better control your emotions or I **_**will**_** take over.**

"Naruto?" Sakura banged on the door. "Naruto open up."

He took a deep breath, stepping away from the door, rubbing the cold sweat away from his face, eyes darting around the room, half expecting the frog to be on the bed staring at him. His eyes fell on the framed pictures on his dresser, one with him and Iruka-sensei sitting over a bowl of ramen, another with him giving a thumbs up, Jiraiya-sensei grinning behind him. He moved to the dresser, picking up the third- it was a picture of Team Seven- all looking so young, so innocent. He had been so happy; he'd had friends, a sensei he respected...he'd had a future. His eyes drifted to a younger Sasuke, and he was gripping the picture so tight the thin glass cracked.

"You've gotten much taller," Naruto jumped, dropping the photo, spinning to see Kakashi standing behind him. He had heard no one enter. The jounin picked up the picture and placed it back on the dresser. Naruto averted his eyes and moved away from the man, but was stopped when Kakashi gripped his upper arm He stared at the mans shoulder, unwilling to look him in the eyes. "Are you alright, Naruto?"

"Yeah,yeah. Fine." He looked at the hand gripping his arm pointedly, but the jounin still did not release him.

"It was to my great surprise to hear that you had awakened, I just got back two days ago." A jolt of surprise ran through him. Kakashi-sensei had been gone this whole time? He had assumed the man didn't want to bother with him. "What happened just now?"

"Don't you have to get back to your Team?" Naruto snapped, yanking his arm from his grip and turning toward his bed, spotting Iruka-sensei in the doorway, face drawn in concern. His face reddened, and shame rushed through him. What the hell was his problem, shouting at the man like that? Iruka-sensei didn't deserve any of this! "Sorry Iruka-sensei," he apologized. "I didn't mean to get so angry, I just want to be left alone right now." He pulled back the sheets and sat down on the bed.

Kakashi moved to the door and exited as silently as he had arrived, patting the chuunin's shoulder as he passed. Naruto laid back on the bed, rubbing his eyes and staring at the ceiling. He heard the door shut, and knew he was alone- finally blissfully alone. Iruka-sensei must be angry with him though.

**Of course. Your emotions are sporadic. You are not doing a good job convincing everyone that you are sane.**

Naruto rolled his eyes and turned on his side, facing the wall. Of course he had been wrong- he was not alone. "Just be quiet, will you?" he shut his eyes tightly and willed himself asleep.

----------

"What do you think?" Kakashi leaned against the wooden wall as Jiraiya sipped his sake. He flipped through another page of his book. Jiraiya placed the cup down and stared emptily at the street.

"I don't know _what_ to think." His brow furrowed. "Have you talked to Uchiha?"

"Yes. He knows nothing- though it's interesting to see how upset he is about it- didn't think anything bugged him anymore." They were silent again, Kakashi's eyes glued to his book. Then, "He looks just like his father..."

Jiraiya refilled his cup. "I know."

---------

He knew where he was, he had been in the dank, piped hallway several times before in more stressful situations. He moved down the dark hall, water up to his ankles, lukewarm but uncomfortable. It was strange, he knew that it was pitch black in here, yet for some reason he could still see, able to look up at the pipes running along the ceiling, able to spot the occasional closed door that lined the walls every few paces. He knew where he was going, and he sloshed through the heated watery darkness until he entered the clearing, and he could see the large gates that kept utter carnage from taking over Konoha.

He approached the gates, peering into a new type of darkness, one that was almost tangle, that one would have to part to walk through, wondering where the Fox was in all that. But it remained silent- except for the sound of water dripping from pipes he could no longer see, and the sound of water going along a current somewhere.

Okaaayy. It appeared he would have to be the one to start this. "Why did you wake me?" he called into the darkness, not bothering with etiquette. His voice did not echo, rather it seemed muffled, as if there wasn't enough space for it to do so. There was a moment of palpable silence, then a giant red eye appeared, half open, peering in mild interest at him. "Why did you wake me?"

Fangs appeared, a rather long and malicious grin. "It was good, for a while," Its booming voice too seemed to be swallowed up by the surrounding darkness. "Not having to hear you, not having to help you, not having to make up for your petty human weaknesses." The Fox chuckled lazily. "But I was getting bored, and it was sooo fun watching you crack."

Naruto glared hatefully at the demon. "There's nothing wrong with me!" he snapped.

The second eye opened and the sheer force of all that undivided attention made the blond take a step back.

"If you're not careful, you'll get us killed," suddenly the Fox moved close to the gates, and Naruto was bathed in the red glow of its eyes. "And I won't like that." The heat of its breath rushed over him, heating his skin, leaving the stench of carrion in its wake.

**No need to fret,** the Voice drifted down from the corridor. **I'll take care of us.** The Fox's eyes drifted to the corridor, then back at him, the grin widening.

Naruto's eyes narrowed and he headed back down the hallway, eyes darting to all the closed doors. There, in the shadows, a door was open, and a person was leaning in the black doorway. As he approached, it became clear that it was him, or a clone. He stopped in front of the other, looking him over. He was wearing the same thing as Naruto, had the same spiky hair, same marks on his face, same height. But ah....his eyes were different. Though they were blue like his own, they had a strange sharpness to them, too intense, like he was glaring without actually glaring. Too sharp, too bright, as if they were trying to take everything in at once.

"You're the Voice," he stated, almost disbelieving his own words, and the Voice smiled.

**Yes, as you want me to be.**

Naruto scratched his head nervously, his stomach feeling queasy. "So, you are me."

**Yes. I'am the proficient part of your mind- I get things done. You need me.**

"No I don't. I don't need you. I want you to leave." He was starting to sweat.

The Voice's face did not change at all, those eyes continued to bore into him with the same intensity as before he had spoken. **It doesn't work like that Naruto. I am here now, and I will take care of you.**

A grumble of amusement drifted from the Kyuubi's direction, and Naruto's face burned hot under the gaze of the Voice.

**There is no need for you to worry. Only do as I say, and all will be well. You'll be back on the road you desire.**

"I don't trust you," Naruto hissed.

The Voice smiled cryptically then. **You mean, you do not trust **_**yourself.**_

Naruto jolted awake, blinking rapidly at the ceiling, the echoes of the Fox's laughter ringing somewhere in the back of his head. He sat up, dropping his legs off the side of his bed, and dropped his head in his hands. This, was Hell. He waited for the Voice to comment on his thoughts, but it was silent. He lifted his head, wondering if he was alone in the apartment. He stood up and tip-toed to the bedroom door, pressing his ear to the wood. He couldn't hear anything. He opened the door, peeking out and spying Iruka-sensei sitting on his couch. He sighed and exited. Iruka-sensei lifted his head from some scrolls and gave him a hesitant smile.

"Morning Naruto. I brought you some of my clothes for today." He lifted a pair of dark gray pants and a long sleeved black shirt – not much different from what he was wearing now. "You can wear it while you're out with Sakura." Naruto grimaced- he didn't want to be out with Sakura.

He took the clothing from the man and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, but freezing in place. There was blood splattered about the linoleum. "Oh shit," he breathed, blinking rapidly, dropping the clothes onto the floor, then stooping quickly to rescue them from the mess. He had cleaned this up! He remembered cleaning everything up!

**Naruto-**

It was fresh! How could it be fr-

**Naruto!**

The Voice rang throughout the bathroom, making him jump, wiping his sweating face with shaking hands.

**There's nothing on the floor.**

It was true, his blue eyes widened in disbelief. There was no blood on the walls and floor. It was clean- perfectly clean.

"But...but I saw blood!" he gasped. There was blood in here- he saw it.

**There was no blood here, it was only your expectations, a trick of the mind.**

Naruto ran a frustrate hand through his hair. "I'm so sick of this shit."

**Be-**

"Shut up," Naruto hissed. He dropped the clothes on the counter and pushed open the shower door, half expecting a tub full of bloody water, but it was clean. He undressed and turned on the faucet, stepping under the warm water. "Not a word from you while I'm in here," he cautioned as he soaped his hair, occasionally glancing down to make sure there was no blood pooling at the bottom.

---------

"This...is perfect." Sakura held up the blue shirt under his chin, ignoring the flat look on his face. "It matches your eyes."

"I don't want it to match my eyes, Sakura," he groused. Once he had gotten out of the shower, he was greeted by an over eager kunoichi determined to 'revamp' his wardrobe. She didn't seem to care that most guys didn't care about clothing matching their eyes, she was too bent on fulfilling a female fantasy he had previously been unaware of. She had all kinds of _interesting_ new things to say about his orange jacket and pants- and through her diatribe Naruto was left to wonder if this pink haired girl even liked him. Did friends usually say things like that to one another- or think thoughts like that while smiling to their faces? The thought was so daunting that he quickly discarded it for simple paranoia, which he'd had enough of.

So he took the clothes the kunoichi tossed his way- blues, greens, grays, more blues... he didn't know there were so many different shades of blue- navy, indigo, cornflower, cerulean, azure, cobalt, steel, teal, sapphire, midnight, dark, light, and baby blue. They were all still blue in his eyes. Deciding that he'd had enough, Naruto placed the pile of acquired clothing near her and backed away slowly, leaving the store and turning down a crowded street, glancing back repeatedly to make sure she wasn't following, dropping into an alley and leaning against the cool brick wall. His eyes to the villagers, he watched as they passed by, going about their lives, nibbling on a fingernail as he hid from Sakura .

**We're being watched, **the Voice intruded. Naruto's eyes darted about the square nervously, trying to spot the ninja he was sure was watching him, his eye falling on a familiar face across the square. Sai, dressed in a long sleeved shirt and black pants. Sai, the one who had taken his place. The ninja was smiling and began to cross the square, moving toward him; Naruto moved away from the wall and stuffed his hands in his pockets as the other approached.

"I don't think we were properly introduced," he extended his hand. "I'm Sai." He was close to grinning.

Naruto gazed at the hand distrustingly, not taking it, instead nodding. "I'm Naruto, as I'm sure they've mentioned."

"Not really," Sai replied, still smiling as he dropped his hand to his side. "If I hadn't investigated myself, I imagine I would have never known of your existence."

Naruto stared at him. **How spiteful of him, **the Voice commented, coming from behind him.** He's afraid of you.**

_Why?_ Naruto puzzled, eyes never moving from Sai's pale face, staring into those black eyes.

**Perhaps he never truly managed to take your place- perhaps he never felt like he _had_ to, except now you are awake.**

Naruto smiled back at him. "It'll be good to get together again."

Sai continued to smile, but he could see it become frosty around the edges. "You're not a part of Team Seven anymore Uzumaki. They've moved on without you, became jounin. What use do they have for a suicidal genin from their past?"

Naruto's smile had long since wilted and he was now glaring at him. "I can see why she doesn't like you," he snapped, relishing the moment when Sai's smile faded away. "You were just warming my spot."

"You'll be back in that hospital in no time," Sai replied softly, his smile returning as he turned and left the alley.

"Yeah, and I'll take you with me," he muttered, watching him go before he made the seals for a Kage bunshin and sent it after him.

**Why did you do that?** The Voice inquired in his left ear, and he smacked it in agitation.

"I wanna know where that bastard lives," he replied. The Voice said nothing. He kicked some dirt with his shoe, then headed for the training grounds, hands still stuffed in his pockets. _Here's to hoping the grounds are where I last remember_, he thought bitterly. His muscles were too loose, too weak, and he wanted to be in better shape when Jiraiya-sensei came around to pick him up. He'd known, somehow, that when the toad sannin showed up, that things would get better, that Jiraiya would get him out of there. Jirai-

**It was_ I_ that got you out of there.**

Naruto paused, staring at the cobbled ground. "_Jiraiya-sensei_ got me out. He talked to Baa-chan, and because of it, I was let go."

The Voice said nothing, but a great feeling of unease settled over him, and that weight returned, causing him to hunch his shoulders. He continued on quickly. To his relief, the training area was still there, though it looked slightly different, which was reasonable- many spars had no doubt taken place here. He stretched his muscles, touching his toes, flexing his shoulders, twisted his torso, took several deep breaths-

"Naruto-kun!" He turned to the excited voice, seeing Rock Lee charging at him like he was being pursued. The taijutsu specialist stopped abruptly in front of him, face split into a wide grin, eyes twinkling. "Are you training?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied with a smile.

"Yosh!" Lee tossed a fist in the air triumphantly. "Come with me- I'm planning to run ten laps around Konoha or I'll have to do one-thousand push-ups- with only my thumbs!" There was an unnatural gleam in his dark eyes. Naruto doubted he could do even five laps, but the idea of some basic cardio was appealing. He nodded and began to follow the 'green beast' at a quick pace.

**What a coincidence that he found you, **the Voice whispered opaquely.

"Shut _up,_" Naruto muttered in exasperation, feeling his weak muscles begin to burn. He lengthened his stride and took deeper breathes, eyes focusing on Lee's back, who was charging ahead of him, shouting back encouragements every thirty seconds or so. Lee was probably the least deceitful person he would ever know- it angered him that the Voice would even bother to _insinuate _that the guy was up to something.

And suddenly he knew where Sai lived, about two miles from the training grounds, on the second floor of an apartment complex a street away from the fish market. Apartment D-two.

**Good,** the Voice murmured, and for once, he agreed.

He managed two lousy laps around the village before he gave up, deciding to go back to his apartment, despite Lee's encouragements to continue on. He promised him that he would do two more laps tomorrow, which pleased the jounin, and he ran off to complete the ten laps he had given himself. Naruto stumbled on home, sweating and aching, looking forward to the well earned shower. His neighbors curtains swayed as he passed, and he paused to send a glare their way, sure that they were peering at him from behind them. They used to complain whenever he was too loud, and had no doubt gotten used to the silence of the last four years.

The light was on in his window, letting him know that it was occupied, probably by Iruka-sensei or Sakura. He hoped it wasn't Sakura, but when he entered, there was a feminine perfume in the air, clearly it was her, and she was in his room, placing shirts on hangers.

"I got you an orange one," Sakura shook a simple orange tee at him. Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets and waited for her to start shouting at him for leaving her, but she said nothing of it, except that she wanted to know where he had been.

"Training with Rock Lee," he replied, opening a drawer and seeing that she had brought him color coordinated boxers. Boxers! Where were the boundaries?!

"What?" Sakura's voice came behind him, and he realized he was staring down at the boxers still. He lifted his head and smiled at her.

"Nothing. Just going to take a shower."

"Cool. I put everything away for you," she stepped up to him, crossing her arms and staring at him pensively. _Here it comes, _Naruto thought grimly. "Naruto, are you mad at me?"

He felt surprise run through him, his brows lifting. "Why would I be mad at you?"

She bit her lip, her eyes got glassy, alarmingly so. "I don't know. I just have this feeling that there was something I personally did that-"

"Stop," Naruto cut her off. "Really, I'm not mad at you."

"I know, it's just," a few tears escaped. "are you sure?"

"I'm not mad Sakura, honestly. Everythings' fine. Lemme just take a shower." he moved around her and dug in the closet for some night-wear, annoyed at the vast variety of shirts Sakura had put there. He pulled out a long-sleeved blue shirt and headed for the bathroom.

"I'll cover for you!" Sakura burst out, almost desperately as he was about to close the door.

"What?" he looked at her.

She wiped her face rapidly. "Listen, they were all discussing you, the other day, about whether or not they believe your story," she sniffed. "It doesn't look like they believe that you were attacked. The way they found you-"

"Who found me?" Naruto demanded, heart pounding.

"It was Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and I think Chouji. No one told you?"

"What do you think?" Naruto snapped, feeling both hot and cold at the same time. "No one tells me shit!" _Shitshitshit! _Shikamaru had found him! Shikamaru was a freaking genius.- any story he told would be picked apart by him. No wonder Shikamaru and Kiba had been giving each other those looks- they had found him, probably hanging there- His hand was clenching tightly to the doorknob. What was he going to do? If-

**It doesn't matter Naruto. Though they seemed to have discussed this, they still intend to allow you to leave. They are willing to overlook this, willing to ignore the facts in favor of your happiness.**

_This is not going to work! What am I doing here?!_

Sakura must have seen the panic on his face, because she spoke quickly. "It's okay! Jiraiya-sama is supposed to take you out next week and get the truth out of you, and you'll continue to train." She sighed, leaning heavily against the hallway wall. "You know, for the last four years, all I wanted to know is, why you did what you did. It bugged me every night, every exam I took, every battle I fought that you weren't there when you should have. But I don't care anymore- I really don't. I just want us to be Team Seven again, like before. You, me, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. That's all I want." She dragged her hand through her pink hair in agitation. "I'm _sick_ of old memories..."

"We _can't_ be a Team," he replied sullenly, having avoided a panic attack. "I've been replaced." He tried to keep the venom out of his voice when he thought of Sai.

"Replaced?" A scornful look came over her face. "You mean Sai? _Him_? We barely tolerate that guy! He wasn't even Tsunade-sama's choice to put on the Team. He's part of Root."

"What's Root?" Naruto was on his way to being confused.

Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "That really doesn't matter. What does is that we want you back, that's all."

Naruto gave her a weary smile. "Thanks Sakura-chan." It really was nice of her to be so supportive. She beamed at him.

"No problem. I'll leave you to your shower then." She turned away as he shut the door, leaning against it, body aching from the run, mind utterly tired. Completely spent. He moved over and turned on the shower, then leaned against the sink counter, staring at the drain. What was he doing here? He shouldn't be here- he was supposed to be dead- this was all supposed to be over and done with. He shouldn't have to keep finding ways to cover up what he had done. Whatever energy he had left deserted him suddenly, and he dropped to a crouch, fingers gripping the edges of the sink, keeping him from laying flat on the linoleum.

He wished he had never wakened, wished that Shikamaru and Neji had never found him, wished that rope had finished him off like it was supposed to. Bitter tears rose, and his throat tightened. What were they going to do when they found out what he had done? Was that small room waiting for him?

**No Naruto. No it is not. Be at ease, I'll take care of you,_ I_ won't let them lock you away. Only do as I say. **The Voice could barely be heard over the sound of water beating against the tub. **Get up Naruto. You have a shower to take, then you can rest.** And if he was lucky, he wouldn't wake up. Naruto pulled himself to his feet, catching his reflection in the bathroom mirror, which was slowly fogging up. There he was, taller, older, face narrower... He smashed his fist into the mirror, watching it crack, distorting his face, a large chunk breaking off and falling into the sink. He stared at his fist, watched as the lines filled with blood and began to seep over his knuckles and into the sink. He stared at the broken shard. Maybe-

**_No_. **The Voice rang in one ear, and he smacked at his head. It was the last thing he did that night that was his own, for the Voice took over, making his body move over to the shower and getting in. It made him wash himself, it made him dry off, get dressed, wrap up his hand and toss the shard of broken mirror in the trash.

It made him walk out into the hall and holler a goodnight to whoever was in the living-room, which was Iruka-sensei. It made him decline dinner and crawl into bed. It made him shut his eyes so there was only darkness. And all the while he screamed and shouted to be set free, beat against his own mind, warred over control of his own body, but failing.

**You give me no choice Naruto. I have to do what's best for you, **the Voice said. **You'll have control in the morning, but tonight is for rest.**

_No!_ Naruto howled. _Let me free! Get out of me! Let me go! This is _my_ body! Mine!_

**No Naruto. It is **_**our**_** body,** the Voice replied in a gentle tone. **It belongs to the two of us.**

And something about that gave Naruto pause, because for some reason, it almost seemed like the Voice wasn't quite referring to him. Dark laughter drifted from the darkest parts of him. Kyuubi!.

_No! This is my body, _he shouted at the Voice. _It does not belong to the Fox._

**Our wellbeing is directly related to the Fox, for the Fox shares our fate. But do not worry about him. Do not worry at _all._ All will be well, only do as I say.**

He could not win this fight. He had lost- he had lost long ago, four years ago, on that building roof. _Sassuuukkkeee,_ he howled his rage as he shrank away in a quiet corner of his mind.

**Don't worry about him**, the Voice whispered. **I'll take care of him.**

All the while, Kyuubi laughed, laughed until he probably made himself sick, until darkness numbed him, and he knew no more.

**TBC**

**I'm hoping to get maybe- eight chapters out of this. At the most, ten. We'll see.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Naruto Does not belong to Daystar Clarion

_**Warnings: Language**_

**Uzumaki's War**

**Chapter Five**

When Naruto awoke, it was to great pain, enough that a long moan escaped his throat as he curled up into a ball on the bed. His whole body felt like it was on fire, from the inside, from head to toe, so that even his teeth ached. He gave another loud moan.

"What's happening?" he gasped. "Why do I hurt?"

He heard the door open but did not bother to open his eyes- he hurt way too much to care.

"Naruto?" It was Iruka-sensei, and he felt a cold palm touch his exposed arm, making him hiss. "You're burning up!" his voice was heavy with concern. "You have a serious fever Naruto."

**Kyuubi and I talked**, the Voice whispered in his left ear.

"_What_?" Terror lanced through him, his eyes flying open. Why were _they_ talking? Were they both planning on taking control of his body?

"I said you have a serious fever," Iruka-sensei's arms came around him, trying to lift him up, causing more pain. "I'm sorry Naruto, but I need to get you into the shower to cool you off. Your fever is dangerously high."

Naruto gripped the sheets in protest- he did not want another shock to his body, but Iruka-sensei was adamant- with surprising strength he lifted Naruto from the bed and turned down the hall toward the bathroom.

"Wait! No, I'm fine! I'm fine!" he struggled weakly as the chuunin pushed the door open with his shoulder and practically dumped him into the tub. Before he could sit up, Iruka-sensei turned the knob, and freezing water shot out of the shower head directly into his face. Naruto howled and sputtered, blocking his face from the onslaught of cold water. He tried to get up from the tub, but the chuunin pushed him back down.

"Sorry Naruto," the man _did_ sound sorry, but that didn't put Naruto in a better mood, and didn't get him out of the tub. Instead he slumped, half reclined, and let the freezing water pour over him.

**We wanted to speed up your training progress, so what you are feeling is several _days_ of physical training done in one night. That is the pain you are feeling. It will cool down in several hours.**

"Fuck you," Naruto gasped, getting water in his mouth. "I won't let you do this to me! This is _my_ body! _My fucking body_!" He wasn't grateful for this, he did not appreciate others making decisions about _his_ body.

Someone grabbed his face, and Naruto blinked wide eyes at Iruka-sensei, whose eyes were looking very frightened. "Who are you cursing at? Are you cursing at me? _Are you_?"

Naruto opened his mouth, about to say no, but his throat shut, cutting him off with a strangled gurgle, and he couldn't breath. He grabbed Iruka-sensei's shoulder as he choked, and the man pulled him from the tub and dragged him into the living room, plopping him onto the couch, then digging into a plastic bag on the table.

**I'm beginning to think that I shouldn't allow you to speak,** the Voice murmured. Naruto's lungs were screaming for air, and he began see spots in his vision. Someone was holding him down, grabbing his arms and pulling them from his throat.

_Go on_, Naruto thought madly. _Kill me! Suffocate me! You'll be doing me a favor!_

**All that I do is for you Naruto. Why do you fight me? Why do you work against yourself?**

His throat unclenched, and he took deep breaths of sweet air, feeling relief and resentment at the same time as his vision cleared. There were two faces over him, Iruka-sensei's worried face, and the masked face of Kakashi-sensei. Naruto tried to sit up, but he was pushed down again. From the corner of his eye he saw the chunin place an empty syringe in the table.

"What did you put in me?" his voice came out rough, as if he had been screaming. His body was still burning painfully, and now he was cold, soaked through by his visit to the tub. Kakashi moved from his view and disappeared down the hall while Iruka-sensei knelt in front of him.

"That was some medication in case you had another seizure." he began to tug at his soaked shirt. "Let's get you out of these before you catch a cold." Naruto did not protest, and lifted his aching arms up so that the soaked shirt could be dragged from his flesh. His boxers went with it, so that he was huddled on the couch naked, embarrassingly so, that is until Kakashi-sensei returned with dry clothes...mostly blue, and he covered his aching body with warm clothes and lay in a ball on the couch, wishing the pain away. Someone dropped a blanket over him, and a warm palm touched his forehead. "Seems to have gone down," the chuunin murmured to the jounin.

His pain hadn't. He covered his ears and grit his teeth, hoping to ride it out, hoping that the hours would go by more quickly.

"Naruto," a woman's voice, and he opened a lid to see Tsunade leaning over him, her hand moving up and down his form, feeling her chakra touch his exposed areas. When had she gotten here? "Did you train recently?"

"Yesterday," he slurred, tongue feeling fat- must be the drugs.

She nodded, a frown marring her beautiful face. "You overdid it- your CK levels are way too high. You need to take it easy for the next few days. No strenuous training, okay?"

He nodded and shut his eyes, through the pain he could feel sedatives working on him. "But I just woke up," he slurred. "I don't want to go to sleep..."

Tsunade patted his head and stood up.

"I think he was having a seizure," he heard Iruka-sensei murmur. Naruto wanted to roll his eyes but even they hurt- if only! He'd take seizures over what was really happening with his brain. "I gave him the dose you required."

"What happened to the mirror in the bathroom?" he heard Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Oh you saw that too?" Iruka-sensei's hand touched his fist; he didn't bother opening his eyes to look- they were too heavy. A finger ran along the cuts, cuts that were half healed already. By the end of the day, they would be gone. "Are you sure it's safe to let him leave?"

**See what you have done? **The Voice whispered in his left ear; he covered that ear with his hand, feeling like he could almost feel the breath of the Voice touching his flesh. But no-no, it was all in his head, it wasn't really there.

"I have my reservations as well," Kakashi added. "His behavior concerns me- will Jiraiya be able to handle this?"

"I'm not sure," The uncertainty in her voice sent a wave of alarm running through him.

"I'm fine," he slurred. "just a little angry."

"There are better ways to handle your anger Naruto," Iruka-sensei chided.

"I...know..." he muttered. His mind drifted then, and he was far away, with colors and swirls, which he knew was the drugs' fault, the pain of his body slowly fading, like the Voice had said it would.

When he came to, he was standing over a sandwich.

"The hell!" He jumped away from the counter, blinking around rapidly, realizing he was in his kitchen. He looked at the plate on the counter, at the sandwich, stuffed with meat and tomatoes. "What are you doing?" He demanded.

**Making a sandwich, **the Voice replied.

"Everything alright Naruto?" He turned to see Iruka-sensei in the kitchen doorway.

"Everything's fine," Naruto assured. It was getting to the point that he probably wouldn't be able to blow a fart without being called on it. He smiled. "Just making a sandwich." He picked it up and took a huge bite, as if to show the man that there was nothing odd or sinister about it at all.

"Alright," he said, looking unsure. "Well, I have to go to the Academy, so Sakura should be here any minute now. She's almost a fully trained medic, so if you start feeling sick again, let her know immediately okay?"

He nodded, following the man to the door, waving as he went out and down the stairs. He waited until the man was out of sight before he did a quick search to see if any ninja were nearby. He felt nothing. Quickly going to back to his room, he threw on clean clothes- more blue- and headed out before Sakura could come. Despite his anger and fear toward the Voice and Kyuubi, he body did feel a bit stronger, even if he was in such a sour mood. Though Tsunade had told him not to train for a while, he knew otherwise- he wanted to be in better shape when Jiraiya-sensei comes around. He wanted the man to focus on training and not on what had happened to him. If he looked in control of things, maybe...

**Illogical,** the Voice said, making him jump. **They all want to know, they want a reason, and a story. We will give them one.**

"Whatever," he muttered as he approached the training grounds, immediately spying Rock Lee stretching. He looked up as he approached and waved an excited hand.

"Naruto-kun! I didn't think you were coming today."

Naruto shrugged and smiled. "Looking to get some more training in today. Did you manage to do ten laps yesterday?"

"Yes," Rock Lee grinned. "I'm doing some sparring today- would you like to be my partner?"

Naruto nodded and stretched his muscles, feeling a slight ache in them, though it wasn't nearly compared to what he had felt earlier. They moved to a clearing and the green beast got into a graceful fighting stance- Naruto tried to mimic it, but knew he looked a complete fool. He had never focused on the martial arts- he had been all about what kind of jutsu he could acquire. Rock Lee frowned, straightening from his stance and coming over, moving Naruto's arm into the proper position.

"What taijutsu do you use, Naruto?" he asked curiously, sounding very serious.

Naruto blushed, straightening up and scratching his head in embarrassment. "None really, I just kick and punch."

Rock Lee shook his head, clucking in dismay. "That will not do. There are multiple styles of the martial arts, and it's good to at least know one."

"What types are there?" he asked.

"Daito Ryu Aiki Bujutsu, Ju Jitsu, Karate, Kendo, Iaido, and that's just to name a _very_ few. The styles go on and on, with variations of the same one sometimes." Lee's eyes narrowed, comically rubbing his hairless chin in thought. "Would you like to try jujitsu, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Rock Lee was still looking at him in a very thoughtful manner, which was a very new experience for Naruto. "I notice when you fight- well, back then anyway, that when not using jutsu you tend to physically attack your opponents straight on."

Naruto grimaced- it was true, he was always the first to throw a punch or kick.

"Jujitsu is a weaponless martial art form using your opponents' strength and force of attack against them."

"I dunno, I'm more of a straight on fighter, you know, I use my bunshins to surround and pummel my opponent." He hesitated. "Buuut, it's good to try something different. Where do I start?"

Rock Lee grinned. 'Fine, today Jujitsu, tomorrow, maybe kempo, or karate. We'll see. First, let me show you the basics."

Watching Rock Lee move was a learning experience- he was more skilled than Naruto remembered, faster, harder, more agile. "Throw me a punch," Lee ordered, and Naruto rushed forward, throwing a punch, aiming for his chest. Lee grabbed his fist, but guided him forward, using his own momentum to propel him past him. Naruto knew that Rock Lee had passed up a chance to probably bury a knee into his stomach, and was half grateful that the jounin had gone easy on him. But on the other hand, he wasn't a delicate flower or anything!

Rock Lee patiently showed him the basic stances and moves used in that particular art- it was such a new experience, that he forgot everything for a few hours, until the burning of his muscles and the ache in his lungs made Lee stop. "That's enough for today, I think," Lee said, backing away from him. Naruto was grateful, he had taken a beating for sure, and perhaps he would be black and blue all over later. But it was enlightening though- he hadn't realized how bad he was at taijutsu until going up against Lee, who could very well be a master by now.

Naruto wiped the perspiration from his face, turning away from Lee for a moment, and spotting Hyuuga Neji standing nearby, pale eyes expressionless but focused on him. _Aw crap_, Naruto thought grimly, averting his eyes, looking elsewhere. Maybe he could make a quick exit, say he had somewhere else to be. After all, Neji had found him, and Neji apparently didn't believe the story the Voice had given. Neji could see right through him.

"Hey Neji," he lifted an aching arm and waved. Hyuuga uncrossed his arms and headed toward him with purposeful steps, the kind of steps one took to a confrontation. He stopped in front of him, looking him up and down with an appraising eye.

"On your feet again, I see," he commented flatly.

"Yep," Naruto replied with a forced smile. "I'll be going with Jiraiya-sensei at the end of the week to-"

"They're really letting you leave? After what happened?" There were lines around Neji's mouth, and he actually was beginning to look angry.

_What am I supposed to say to that?! _Naruto thought frantically.

**Everything will be fine.**

"Everything will be fine," Naruto gave a shaky laugh. "I'll catch up to you guys in no time! After all, I'm going to be Ho..." His tongue curled around the word, and he shut his mouth, staring at the Hyuuga prodigy. Why did he have to talk to him? Should he _have_ to explain things? "I don't think I have to explain myself to you," he continued coldly. Were these his words?

"No," Neji replied. "No you don't. But if you're going to think I'll believe that poorly put together scenario that you've given, then you are sorely mistaken."

"Well then it's a good thing I don't have to convince _you_ of anything," he sneered, turning away from him, catching the concerned expression on Rock Lee's face. Where were these words coming from? This wasn't like him! He didn't talk to his friends this way! Was it the Voice doing this?

"I used to respect you," he heard Neji say, and he felt himself pale.

**Keep walking Naruto,** the Voice commanded, and he didn't argue, just kept moving, not daring to look back.

_I'm finished_, he said to the Voice. _I'm so finished._

**No you are not. Never think so. All will be well.**

_You keep saying that, and it keeps not being true._

**Patience,** the Voice murmured in his ear. **Have patience.**

Naruto shook his head, deciding to head for Ichiraku's, could use something to eat, even if he wasn't in the least hungry. But food gave strength, and strength was what he desired.

"Hey Naruto!"

He lifted his head and looked back to see Sakura rushing over to him with a harried expression about her.

"What's the matter Sakura-chan?" he asked as she made it to his side.

"You okay?" she asked, puffing a bit, brushing hair out of her face.

"Yeah, why?" Naruto asked with a frown. Had she seen Neji or Rock Lee?

"I don't know," she replied with a frown of her own. "You just looked a bit...hunched." Naruto quickly straightened his shoulders; she was right, he had been doing that- actually, he had been doing that for a while now. "Anyway, I just needed to tell you that I just got assigned a mission, and I have to leave now. I'm supposed to stay with you today, but I-"

"Comecomeoncomeon," Ino appeared, grabbing Sakura's arm. "We gotta go now! I have a date on Friday!I wanna get this done now!"

"Gimme a second!" Sakura glared at her before turning back to him. "I'll tell Iruka-sensei-"

"That's alright," Naruto cut her off. "I'll tell him myself."

Sakura opened her mouth, but Ino spoke up. "That's great! Let Naruto tell him, he's not a baby. Now let's go!" She yanked on her arm.

"Fine!" Sakura snapped, then threw a harried smile at him. "I'll see you in a day or two then, kay? I'll definitely be back before you leave." Then she was being whisked away by Yamanaka. Naruto stared after them wistfully, yearning for those carefree days, when missions were all he cared about. Those days were gone though. He hunched his shoulders again, frowning at the ground before continuing on towards Ichiraku.

The simple sight of the shop lifted his spirits a bit- it was exactly as he remembered, with the same two people standing behind the counter, serving customers with a smile. He spotted Jiraiya sitting on one of the stalls, but he wasn't eating, nor was he writing in one of his porno books. He was just staring ahead, and Naruto could imagine that his face was very serious. He paused, gazing at the man's back, feeling that brief moment of cheer fading away even though the savory smell of noodles assaulted him.

Suddenly Jiraiya turned and looked at him, dark eyes serious. He waved him over. Naruto rubbed a shoulder and moved to him, sitting down next to the toad-sannin. "Hey old man!" he called, and grinned when Old Man Ichiraku actually jumped, eyes going wide.

"Naruto!" the man came over, grinning madly. "You're back from that mission! Man, it's been four years! Look at how tall you've gotten!"

Mission? What mission?

**Apparently it isn't common knowledge that you were hospitalized**, the Voice said closely in his ear, making him swat at his head, startled.

"Yeah it was _some_ mission!" Naruto gave a nervous laugh as the man sat a large bowl of ramen down in front of him.

"On the house, for my number one favorite customer!"

Naruto dug in happily, noisily slurping down the noodles, ignoring all his problems for a simple moment with his favorite food, ignoring that he could feel Jiraiya's eyes on him. The man had rarely given him those deep speculative looks before, but he imagined that he would be seeing a lot of those for some time.

When he was finishing up his second bowl, and contemplating on his third, not sure if his smaller stomach could handle another, he peeked over to see that Jiraiya had stopped looking at him, instead staring down at his cup of sake.

"What's the matter Jiraiya-sensei? You're usually writing plots for your porno books."

The toad sannin smiled. "Ah, sometimes, ideas simply start in the head- it's only the good ones that make it out on paper." He looked at him. "Were you training?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep," he lifted the ramen bowl to his mouth and took deep gulps, feeling his stomach protest as it stretched. No, there would be no third bowl. "Rock Lee was showing me some jujitsu. I really suck at taijutsu, so I'm thinking that maybe you could show me some when we leave for training."

Jiraiya frowned. "Didn't Tsunade tell you not to train today?"

"Aww come on," Naruto rested his head on the table. "I was feeling better, and I don't want to waste any time."

"Time? You on a schedule, Naruto?"

"I dunno. Why? You looking for a hidden meaning in that?" he snapped, getting annoyed at the look he was getting from his sensei.

The toad sannin rested his head in one hand, gazing down at him. "You're more volatile than I remember," he commented. Naruto gave a wan smile from where he was.

"Well, I'm all out of cheer," he replied, lifting his head from the counter. "Well, I better head back before Iruka-sensei blows it when he realizes I've been out." He turned to Old Man Ichiraku. "Hey, I'll be back tomorrow!" The proprietor beamed at him and gave a thumbs up. Naruto turned back to Jiraiya. "I'll see you tomorrow." Jiraiya nodded silently.

_Ugh,_ Naruto groaned silently. Despite the decent meal, the ramen settled unhappily in his belly, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Damn Neji! Naruto stopped at a wall and leaned against it, rubbing his forehead. He shouldn't give a damn what Neji thought- he shouldn't even care if he respected him or not. But that's one of the things he cared about the most, why he had wanted to be Hokage in the first place. He _wanted_ people to respect him! Isn't that something every human craves?

How many others thought the way Hyuuga did? Shikamaru? Kiba? Everyone else who knew? He shouldn't care. He really shouldn't. Naruto pushed himself away from the wall and hurried back toward his apartment, mind elsewhere. Was Neji talking to Shikamaru? Were they all talking about him, saying that he was weak, or crazy?

"I did it for them," he growled, kicking a trashcan as he passed, causing someone to call out in surprise. He kept moving. "I was looking out for the others," he hissed, quickening his steps. "You think I wanted to hang? You think that's the way I wanted to go? _I had plans_!" Several people were giving him weird looks, a woman was yanking at her child, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "The fuck you looking at?!" Naruto shouted at the boy, and the woman yelped, lifting her kid bodily off the ground and running away.

Naruto continued to walk, approaching his complex. "What? Nothing to say?" The Voice should have something to say, it always had something to say about his behavior or actions. "Not telling me to calm down? Not taking over?" He stopped by his door, eyes staring down at the cement. "Where are you? Why are you so quiet?"

"Would you be quiet?" a nasally voice replied, making Naruto jump. He looked up to see his scruffy neighbor's head poking out of his doorway, cigarette hanging from his mouth, eyes bloodshot. "It was so nice here when you were gone."

Naruto opened his mouth to snarl at the man, but shut it, opening his door and slamming it extra hard. "Aaaarrrgghhh," he howled, pulling at his hair as he paced his living room madly. "Fuck Neji! Fuck _them all_!" He threw one of his plants across the room, soil cascading across his couch. "_I did it for them, the ungrateful bastards!"_

His neighbor banged on the wall, and he tossed another pot at it, watched the clay break, the soil and plant smashing against the wall. He was gasping for breath, he was actually very hot right now, and the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. And laughter. There was dark laughter.

"_Shut up!_" he screamed. "_Shutupshutupshutup_!" The Fox continued. "Stop _laughing_!"

* * *

He was very comfortable, with the vague realization that he was lying on the floor, which was something he didn't do often. Through it was rough against his skin, there was a cool breeze coming through the window that made him want to settle more deeply into the rough carpet. He was relaxed, nothing hurt, nothing bugged him- it was like one of those relaxing mornings where he knew there was nothing he was supposed to do that day, so it was perfectly alright to lay about, and snooze. It was so strange, but he felt like some great weight had lifted from him, like he had been carrying and extra fifty pounds of ...of _something_ on him, and now it was gone. He felt good. Real he was on the floor, which he couldn't recall doing, and it wasn't anywhere near morning. The last thing he remembered was the laughter of Kyuubi, mocking him.

Suddenly he didn't feel so good.

Naruto turned over onto his back and opened his eyes, blinking blearily at the ceiling, taking a deep breath, and immediately smelling the sharp tang of iron. He knew that smell. Naruto sat up quickly. The sight before him shocked him in a way that was devoid of emotion. His mind went almost clinical about it. A man- no, his neighbor, was lying beside him, on his back, with his chest spread open. There was blood everywhere. Naruto looked down at himself, covered in blood, and realized that there was something in his fist.

He opened his hand, and a heart rolled out of it, rolling to his neighbor's thigh and stopping. He should be screaming, he should be horrified, he should be freaking out like he had the first time, but he felt absolutely empty, devoid of emotions. He was back at square one again. It was four years ago all over again.

**This is unfortunate**, the Voice commented, and he looked up at the ceiling, where the Voice seemed to have come from.

_Oh.._.he thought faintly. _There you are. I thought you were gone..._

**No**, the Voice replied just as faintly. **I will always be here as long as you need me.**

Naruto looked at his neighbor. _So why didn't you stop me? You could take control of me, but you didn't stop_ _me...unless _you_ did this... _"You _did_ this didn't you? You're making it seem like it's me, but it's really you."

**Naruto, I _am_ you. There is no you, there is no me. There is only US.**

Naruto shook his head rapidly, getting to his feet shakily, his shirt sticking to his flesh. "Why didn't you stop me?" he asked again.

There was silence, and the smell of blood and thick meat, an unnatural smell when describing the state of a human body, which he could not take his eyes off of. Then, **You are too strong.**

_What?_ He looked at the ceiling in numb confusion.

**When you kill, you call upon the Kyuubi's chakra. It's too strong. All I can do is damage control. Allow me to take care of this.**

"No," Naruto said flatly, and sat down abruptly on the soaked floor. "I'm done. I'm not going to do this again. I'll just wait here for Iruka-sensei to come and take me away. I'm not doing this again."

**NO. NonononononoNO!**

Naruto felt a chill run through him at the sound of the Voice, its cool, calm tone replaced by something harsh and guttural. His body stiffened, he felt himself lose control, being pushed back into his mind. He wasn't surprised, resigned really, as the Voice made him get up.

**Once again, I must be strong where you are weak.**

Hatred passed through him, but he watched silently as the Voice removed his clothes, stepping around his neighbor and going into the bathroom. The Voice stepped into the shower, doing a quick rinse, then returning to change into clean ones.

Then it headed for the door, slowly opening it and peeking out into the empty walkway before stepping out quickly and moving to his neighbor's door, which was slightly ajar. He almost wished someone would catch them. The Voice slipped silently inside, and immediately they were assaulted by the stifling smoke from cigarettes. The Voice shut the door behind them and moved slowly and cautiously through the living room. It was kind of sad how similar both their apartments were to each other. The only difference being the furnishing and atmosphere. His wasn't filled with smoke. The Voice stopped in the middle of the room, looking about slowly, carefully.

_What are you doing?_ Naruto asked, feeling vaguely curious. The Voice did not reply, instead moving toward the man's bedroom, opening the door slowly and gazing in. The room smelled just as bad, if not worse, than the rest of the place, with the added scent of alcohol. _Well?_ He asked. _What are you going to do?_

The Voice made the seals for two Kage Bunshins, and they silently moved out of the apartment. The Voice moved into the bedroom, bending over by the bed and picking up a half empty bottle of alcohol. He placed the bottle on the dresser by the bed, riddled with cigarette butts and burn marks. There was a half open pack sitting by the lamp and the Voice picked out a stick, lighting it with the lighter sitting near it. The Voice took a very veteran swig, smoking invading their lungs. Naruto wanted to cough, but he was no longer in control. The Voice had their eyes trained on the bed, didn't even look up when the clones returned, but Naruto saw that between them they held his neighbor.

They arranged the man on the bed while they watched and smoked, one leaning over and pressing the man's torn chest cavity closed. They dressed him in a clean shirt and stood back, staring at him. The Voice picked up the bottle of alcohol and poured some on the man's shirt, then the rest on his bed.

_What are you doing? _He demanded, tired of the silence.

"It's a real pity," the Voice said allowed, moving about and picking up another bottle with some liquor in it and sprinkling it about the room. "His friends _told_ him not to smoke in bed, but did he listen? No, he preferred to drown out his sorrows in alcohol and nicotine, so drunk that he didn't even know he caught fire." The Voice shook his head. "So sad..."

He placed the half smoked cigarette between the man's dead fingers and smiled, switching the lighter on, and dropping it on the bed. There was a bright whoosh, and the bed caught immediate fire, traveling along the sheets and over the man's drenched shirt. The clones moved to close the windows. A spark flew onto the carpet, and a small fire began to start, igniting more carpet the minute it hit sprinkles of alcohol. The room was beginning to feel like an inferno, the stench of burning flesh, carpet and linen assaulting their nose. The clones dissipated, and the Voice moved them sedately out of the smoking room, through the living room, and out the door, calmly locking it behind them and going back into his apartment. But it was as they turned to close the door that they froze, both of them staring at the person on the roof across from them.

* * *

Sasuke moved toward Naruto's apartment, having asked Kakashi-sensei where it was before going. The last time he had been there was when Itachi had shown up in an attempt to kidnap the blond idiot. That seemed longer than four years ago.

Why did Naruto blame him for what happened? He had spent too long trying to figure it out on his own, not asking others, trying to retrace steps, remember words he may have said, things he may have done that would have caused Naruto to hang himself. He hadn't told Naruto that he was leaving Konoha to join Sound, and he couldn't imagine something like that causing him to hang himself. If anything, Naruto would have made a nuisance of himself and would have made it his sole responsibility to drag him back. That was what he had expected- he had expected Naruto to fight him in that Valley, not Kakashi-sensei.

Sasuke hopped to the top of one of the apartment roofs. It was a simple matter of getting Naruto to tell him what he had done, and if the blond idiot wanted to fight, well hell, he could use a good fight, like back when they were kids. He'd get the reason out of him if he had to beat him bloody.

Sasuke paused on the roof, staring at the apartment across from him, trying to remember which number Naruto was, when the door to apartment fifty-six opened, and Naruto walked out, shutting it behind him. He walked over to apartment fifty-seven, opened the door and walked in, turning to shut it, when their eyes connected. Naruto froze.

Even from where he was standing, he could see, no _feel_ the difference in Naruto. Those normally cheerful eyes were too sharp, cold and intense as they stared at him. There was no cloud of emotion- there wasn't that desperate hatred that he had seen in them all those days ago. He had never seen Naruto look this way.

Movement caused him to look away at apartment fifty-six...there was smoke coming from the bottom of the door. He looked back at Naruto, who turned those foreign eyes toward the smoke, then back at him. Fifty- five opened, and a woman staggered out, coughing.

"There's a fire!" She called loudly. Naruto disappeared from the doorway as several other tenants appeared in their doorways, peering out, then rushing out as the window of fifty-six shattered and flame shot from it. There were several screams.

Sasuke leaped from the roof right into Naruto's apartment, batting away the smoke that clouded his view for a second, eyes darting around to spot the blond. He wasn't in sight. Sasuke cautiously moved through the living, covering his nose and mouth with his arm.

"Naruto?" he called. Naruto had gone inside. His eyes watered at the acrid smoke, most of it coming from Naruto's bedroom. He rushed toward it, blinking away tears as he spotted Naruto in his bedroom. His hand was on fire-no, he had what looked like a shirt in his hand, most of it on fire, and he dropped it on the carpet, in a way that was clearly intentional. The wall beside his bed was now a wall of flame, some of it crumbling to reveal a complete inferno on the other side.

"Did you see?" Naruto asked suddenly, and he turned to see the blond standing near him, staring so intently at him, blue eyes seeming surrounded by ice. Sasuke understood exactly what he was asking. Did Sasuke see him set his neighbor's apartment on fire? Did Sasuke notice the large stain on the carpet that Naruto's shirt was conveniently burning away?

Naruto should be choking on the smoke- _he_ was beginning to choke.

"See what?" he gasped, gesturing toward the doorway.

Naruto nodded and moved past him. "Sakura's going to be so mad that all the clothes she bought me burned."

They exited the apartment into the semi-fresh air, where Sasuke hacked up some smoke while Naruto leaned against the railing, out of the way of rushing tenants, smoke smearing his face and arms, looking completely disconnected from everything.

"Son of a bitch!" Sasuke turned to see an angry tenant moving away from the apartments. "You guys better get away from there! This whole damn place may go down tonight!" He spat into the cement as they followed him down the stairs and into the growing crowd of tenants and spectators. He saw several people rush back with buckets of water and a hose. "I _told_ that bastard Nobuo not to smoke in his damn apartment, but did he listen?! Now we're all homeless! That bastard better be dead in there, because it's going to be nothing compared to what I'm going to do to him if he's alive."

A simple suiton jutsu could take care of the growing problem, seeing that it had moved through fifty-seven, fifty-five, and was working its way toward fifty-eight and fifty-four. But glancing at Naruto, with his cold empty face, he knew that there was a body in there somewhere, and Naruto likely didn't want it in recognizable condition. He felt goosebumps run through his heated flesh. Naruto had killed someone. _Naruto_.

"What did you do?" he asked lowly. No one would hear him, they were too busy being upset. Naruto looked away from the flames, eyes seeming to glow in the light of the flames.

"You and I Sasuke, we got problems," His voice was cold.

"No shit," Sasuke replied, spying Iruka-sensei rushing toward them through the crowd.

"Naruto!" The chuunin called, eyes frantic, and Sasuke watched in fascination as Naruto's expression changed, from that frozen emptiness, to looking confused and frightened.

"Sensei!" he called, coughing dramatically, turning toward the chuunin, waving a dirty hand.

"What happened?!" Iruka-sensei asked, grabbing Naruto's shoulders, giving him a once over.

"I don't know," Naruto sounded bewildered. "I was just sleeping and I heard people shouting!" he coughed roughly again, and it sounded pretty authentic. "My room was smoking up, had to get out."

Iruka-sensei opened his mouth to say something, but apartment fifty-four took that moment to explode, shooting flaming wood missiles everywhere. Civilians screamed, stumbling over each other to get away from the falling debris. He remained there with Iruka-sensei and Naruto, and a blond woman, whose face was very pale as she stared at the apartment.

"There goes dinner," she murmured faintly.

Sasuke almost laughed, but she looked devastated, clutching a young girl to her breast. He turned to look at Naruto, who was being smothered by Iruka-sensei's arms, but he was staring back at him, his eyes having gone back to that empty frozen blue.

Yeah, they had problems.

**TBC**

**Naruto and the Voice don't see eye to eye.**

**Thank you all for the reviews!**


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